New Delhi: India's emerging shooting sensation Varun Tomar clinched a bronze medal in the men's 10m air pistol competition at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo. This also opened the country's account in the tournament.
The 19-year-old, competing on day one, got the better of teammate Sarabjot Singh in a shoot-off after both had tied for the third spot with a score of 250.6 in the ranking round.
Seasoned Slovakian shooter Juraj Tuzinsky defeated upcoming Italian talent Paolo Monna 17-15, to win gold in the event.
Earlier, Varun had shot 583 in qualification to make the ranking round in second place, while Sarabjot had shot 581 to qualify fifth. Juraj also topped the qualification with a score of 585.
In the ranking match, Paolo topped with 254.2 to set up the gold medal clash with Juraj, who finished second with 252.8, ahead of the two Indians as names like 50-year-old Turkish veteran Yusuf Dikec fell by the wayside.
This was Tomar's first senior ISSF World Cup stage medal.
The news was confirmed by the official handle of the Sports Authority of India. Sharing a few pictures from the competition, the official SAI handle wrorte: "Medal Alert🚨 🇮🇳 wins its 1⃣st medal at the Cairo Shooting World Cup! Varun Tomar bags a 🥉for by defeating compatriot Sarbjot Singh in a shoot-off. Varun & Sarbjot qualified for the Finals with qualification scores of 583 (2nd) & 581 (5th) respectively. Way to go champions🥳."
Earlier, Tomar had replaced Sarabjot in the 10m air pistol Indian junior for the ISSF World Championships. This was after Sarabjot was set to turn senior just before the marquee event. While initially it was Sarabjot who was named in the team, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), upon realising that the shooter will turn 22 before the start of the competition, had to replace him last minute.
As per the tournament's requirement, junior team members needed to be aged below 21 on December 31, 2022 which led to Tomar's selection.
(With Inputs From PTI)