Bhanwala wins bronze, gives India rapid fire pistol World Cup medal after 12 years
Young shooter Anish Bhanwala broke the myth of no Indian winning a medal in the 25m rapid fire pistol event by winning a bronze medal on the final day of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo on Thursday. It was the 20-year-old shooter’s maiden senior individual World Cup medal after three shoot-offs. Prior to Bhanwala, the only Indian shooter to win a medal in the event at the international level was Vijay Kumar, who won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics and two podium finishes at the World Cup.
Italy’s Massimo Spinella hit 32 in the medal match to win the gold, while world championship silver medalist Clement Basagüet of France fell two hits behind after 40 shots to settle for silver. Anish’s bronze helped India finish the World Cup with seven medals, including four gold, on top of the table. Bhanwala dedicated this medal to his personal coach Harpreet Singh. India remained out of medal contention in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions. Manini Kaushik finished 22nd and Anjum Moudgil 27th.
