In a thrilling display of precision and skill, Li Yuehong of China secured the gold medal in the men's 25-meter rapid fire pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final held in New Delhi, India.
Li maintained a strong lead after delivering flawless performances in the initial four series. However, the competition intensified when Germany's Christian Reitz contested Li's three-out-of-five results, leading the jury to permit a re-shoot. The tension peaked during the subsequent shoot-off against Reitz's compatriot, Oliver Geis, when Reitz once again filed an appeal, which was ultimately denied by the jury.
Despite not breaking his personal best world record of 39 hits, Li's impressive tally of 34 hits secured him his second World Cup Final title, following his first victory in 2021. Earlier this year, the 35-year-old shooter also made headlines by winning his inaugural Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Florian Peter of Germany, who narrowly missed the top spot last year, finished with 30 hits to claim the silver medal. The bronze was won by Li's teammate Wang Xinjie, who achieved 23 hits.
The Chinese contingent continued their strong performance with Han Jiayu earning bronze in the women's 50-meter rifle 3 positions event, scoring 453.7 points. She trailed behind Denmark's Rikke Maeng Ibsen, who took gold with 466.2 points, and Norway's Jeanette Hegg Duestad, who secured silver with 465.6 points.
Feng Sixuan also contributed to China's medal tally by winning bronze in the women's 25-meter pistol event, while Josefin Eder of Germany edged out France's Camille Jedrzejewski with a score of 36-35 to claim gold.
Reference(s):
China's Li Yuehong wins men's 25m rapid fire pistol gold at World Cup
cgtn.com
