India wins 10m air pistol mixed team gold at ISSF World Cup

LIMA, April 16 (Xinhua) -- India's Suruchi Inder Singh and Saurabh Chaudhary claimed the 10m air pistol mixed team title at the ISSF World Cup Lima leg on Wednesday, while two Chinese pairs settled for silver and bronze.

China and India faced off in both mixed team bronze and gold medal deciders. In the gold medal match, China's Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun were off to a rocky start against Singh and Chaudhary, trailing 2-0 after the first series. The Chinese pair rallied with six consecutive points to force the Indian team to timeout at 6-2. Hu and Yao held a narrow 9-7 lead after both teams tied the eighth series at 20.7 points each.

The match pivoted dramatically in the ninth series as the Indians unleashed a 10-point streak to overtake the Chinese pair, sealing a 17-9 victory for their second gold of the Lima leg.

Earlier, China's Zhang Yifan and Ma Qianke dominated the bronze medal contest against India's Ravinder Singh and Manu Bhaker. The Chinese duo raced to an 8-0 lead in the first four series. Though Singh and Bhaker narrowed the gap to 8-4, Zhang and Ma regrouped with a series of 10-plus scores to rebuild a 10-4 advantage. After conceding two points, Zhang and Ma dominated the closing stages with a six-point streak to claim bronze 16-6.

In the women's skeet final, three-time Olympic champion Kimberly Rhode of the United States captured her 26th World Cup gold after edging teammate Samantha Simonton in a shoot-off following a 56-hit tie. The men's skeet title went to America's Taylor Dustan, who defeated compatriot Christian Elliott 56-55. China's Han Xu secured bronze with 46 hits. ■