Sift Kaur Samra Clinches Maiden ISSF World Cup Gold

Buenos Aires: Sift Kaur Samra delivered a stunning comeback to win her first individual gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Buenos Aires. She triumphed in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event.

India’s First Gold of the Season

The 23-year-old shooter from Faridkot gave India its first gold at this year’s World Cup. The event took place at the Tiro Federal Argentino range in Argentina on Friday night.

Big Comeback After Early Deficit

Sift, a world record holder, trailed by 7.2 points after the Kneeling stage. Germany’s Anita Mangold had taken an early lead. But Sift bounced back in the Prone and Standing positions. She surged ahead and won by a clear margin.

She finished with 458.6 points. Mangold followed with 455.3, earning the silver. Kazakhstan’s Arina Altukhova scored 445.9 and took the bronze. She exited after the 44th shot.

Top-Class Qualification Round

Earlier, Sift topped the qualification round with a strong 590. Several big names failed to make the final, including Olympic champions Chiara Leone and Nina Christen from Switzerland. Alexandria Le (Kazakhstan) and Mary Tucker (USA) also missed out.

Stunning Standing Series Turns the Tide

Sift struggled in the Kneeling stage and couldn’t hit the 10-ring consistently. She improved in the Prone section, cutting the gap to 4.3 points. Yet, she remained in eighth place.

Her turning point came during the Standing shots. She shot a brilliant 52.3 in the first series and jumped to joint third. Another steady 51.2 moved her into the lead. She then sealed the win with scores of 10.5, 10.3, 10.5, 10.0, and 9.7.

India’s Medal Tally Grows

After a slow start, India now stands second in the medal tally. The country has one gold and one bronze. Chain Singh won the bronze earlier in the men’s 3P. China leads the table with a gold and a silver.

Raiza Dhillon Eyes Skeet Final

Four qualification rounds took place in the Skeet event. Raiza Dhillon leads the Indian women’s field. She scored 94 across four rounds (25, 22, 24, 23) and holds sixth place—the final qualifying spot. She trails the leader by only two points.

Other Indians in Skeet

Ganemat Sekhon is 11th with 92.

Darshna Rathore is 18th with 89.

In men’s skeet:

Bhavtegh Gill is in 18th with 94,

Anant Jeet Singh Naruka has 93,

Gurjoat Khangura has 91.

The last qualification round and finals are scheduled for Saturday.

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