At the ISSF Junior World Cup 2022 in Suhl, Germany, Indian shooters Rhythm Sangwan, Manu Bhaker, and Naamaa Kapoor swept the women's 25m pistol competition.
Manu Bhaker and Naamaa Kapoor won silver and bronze, respectively, behind Rhythm Sangwan. The three medals extended India's lead at the top of the medal tally, bringing India's total to 20 medals - nine gold, ten silver, and one bronze.
From the first round of qualifying, the Indian trio dominated the field. Rhythm won the round with a score of 588, followed by Manu Bhaker (584), and Naamya (583).
Naamya led the eliminators with 12 hits, while Rhythm came in second with 11 hits and advanced to the medal round. Manu Bhaker easily won the second eliminator with 17 hits, while German Michaela Boesl won a shoot-off to advance to the fourth final with nine hits.
After a tight three-shot shoot-off in which both competitors were tied on 10-hits after four 5-shot series rounds, Naamya ensured an Indian sweep of the medals.
Meanwhile, at the top, Manu took the lead at first, but Rhythm caught up by the fifth series and went ahead by the seventh.
The final scoreboard revealed 31 hits for Rhythm, 26 for Manu, and 16 for Naamya.
Meanwhile, India's Shivam Dabas earned silver in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions, losing 15-17 to Danilo Sollazzo of Italy. In a very close final, the Italian had to survive a shoot-out to win.
Italy is second with three gold and bronze medals, while Australia and the United States are tied for third with a gold, silver, and bronze medal each. On Thursday, the ISSF Junior World Cup will come to an end.
