SHOOTING | Aishwary Tomar and Sanjeeta Das snatch mixed air rifle gold from the Koreans

Aishwary Tomar and Sanjeeta Das stage incredible comeback to win gold in mixed air rifle event at World University championship.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Sanjeeta Das usurped the gold medal from the grasp of the Koreans, Hyobeen Kim and Junhwan Lee, in the mixed air rifle event of the World University shooting championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range on Wednesday.

Trailing 11-15 with the Koreans on the threshold of victory, Aishwary and Sanjeeta came up with perfect shots of 10.9 each to narrow the gap to 13-15. Sanjeeta was the better of the two, as she shot 10.7 and 10.5 on her next two attempts. Ably supported with 10.3 and 10.4 by Aishwary, the duo comfortably fetched four more points for an improbable victory.

For the fans who cheered the team to victory, it was no less than a miracle, as the Indian pair had trailed 2-12 at one stage.

The Koreans withered under pressure, shooting a half point less than the Indians to bring the score to 15-15, And then got beaten by 1.3 point for the gold on the next shot.

The effort helped India wind up with 10 gold, nine silver and seven bronze medals.

It was a particularly satisfying finish for the host, as it came after Manini Kaushik and Umamahesh Maddineni lost 16-0 in the match for bronze to the Polish team of Julia Piotrowska and Maciej Kowalewicz.

The only other medal for the host, on the final day, came through the men’s rapid fire pistol team. Raajwardan Paatil made the final among the three Indians, and finished fifth.