Rana wins India's 1st Worlds gold medal in 10m air pistol

Samrat Rana, the 20-year-old pistol shooter competing in his maiden world championships, created tremors in the shooting world as he sensationally won India's first gold medal in 10m air pistol, beating Hu Kai -- the most dominant Chinese shooter of the year.

- Avishek Roy

Rana was competing in his first senior international final and was up against a stellar field including Olympic and world champions but the shooter from Karnal (Haryana), who topped the qualification earlier, showed no nerves even when Hu was breathing down his neck during the pulsating final and with the title on line.

Rana, ahead of Kai by just 0.6 points and with the final shot to go, pulled the trigger for a stunning 10.6 under pressure to seal the title. Hu shot a 10.8 but it was not enough. Rana's total score was 243.7 and Hu fell short by just 0.4 points. There was double delight for India as Paris Olympian Varun Tomar too finished on the podium winning bronze with 221.7 points.

"I still can't believe it," said Rana after his victory. "I think it's a happy hunting ground for me. I won two medals here in Cairo at the junior world championships in 2022. I like the ambience. I was just trying to focus on my technique in every shot towards the end."