India’s Ganemat Sekhon won the country’s first-ever ISSF World Cup medal in Women’s Skeet when she bagged a bronze on the third competition day of the tournament in New Delhi.
The 20-year-old Ganemat, ranked 82 in the world, shot a personal-best qualification score of 117 and followed it up with 40 in the final for a podium finish.
Ganemat was also the first Indian woman skeet shooter to win a medal in the ISSF Junior World Championships in 2018, a bronze. On Sunday, she proved her progress in the senior ranks.
“After the event today I came to know that it’s a historic medal and I was very excited,” said Sekhon. “I was working towards this and my aim was to come to the final for the first time in seniors and go for the medal. It is very big for me.”
The Chandigarh shooter said she was initially nervous in the final.
“It was the first time in the senior final and there were too many emotions, but I feel after the second round I was in focus even after missing some targets. I thought of it is an opportunity that I can’t let go.”
Shooting in her home range helped regain confidence in the final. “It was an advantage for me.”
Ganemat had won silver at the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha and also competed in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, where she finished 10th.
The other Indian in the finals, Karttiki Singh Shaktawat, settled for the fourth position after an impressive start, shooting 32. Earlier in the qualification, Karttiki was fourth with 116.
The third Indian in the event, Parinaaz Dhaliwal shot 108 to finished ninth in a field of only eleven shooters.
Amber Hill of Great Britain, who shot the best qualification score of 124, won the gold after outgunning Kazakhstan Zoya Kravchenko 4-3 in a shoot-ofwon the f as both were tied on 51 after 60 shots.
In the men skeet final, Gurjoat Khangura finished 6th with a score of 17 after making it to the finals in sixth place with 121 ahead of Olympic quota winner Mairaj Ahmed Khan who also shot 121 but lost out in the shoot-off, taking the 7th position. Another Olympic quota winner from India Angad Vir Singh Bajwa could only manage 117 and finished 19th in a field of 23 shooters.
Denmark’s Jesper Hansen (58) won the gold ahead of UAE’s Bin Futais Saif (51) and 2012 London Olympic bronze medallist Nasser Al-Attiyah (44).
The Results:
Women’s Skeet: 1. Amber Hill (Great Britain) 51(4) 124; Zoya Kravchenko (Kazakhstan) 51(3) 114; Ganemat Sekhon (India) 40 (117); 4. Karttiki Singh Shaktawat (India) 32 (116); 9. Parinaaz Dhaliwal (India) 108.
Men’s Skeet: 1. Jesper Hansen (Denmark) 58 (121); Saif Bin Futais (UAE) 51 (122); Nasser Al-Attiya (Qatar) 44 (123); 6. Gurjoat Khangura (India) 17 (121); 7. Mairaj Ahmed Khan (India) 121; 19. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa (India) 117.
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