Varun Tomar bags 10m air pistol gold, opens India's account at Cairo Shooting World Cup

Teenager Varun Tomar bagged a bronze medal in the men’s 10m air pistol competition, opening India’s account at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Cairo.

The 19-year-old, competing on day one, got the better of teammate Sarabjot Singh in a shoot-off after both had tied for the third spot with a score of 250.6 in the ranking round.

Seasoned Slovakian shooter Juraj Tuzinsky defeated upcoming Italian talent Paolo Monna 17-15, to win gold in the event.

Earlier, Varun had shot 583 in qualification to make the ranking round in second place, while Sarabjot had shot 581 to qualify fifth. Juraj also topped the qualification with a score of 585.

In the ranking match, Paolo topped with 254.2 to set up the gold medal clash with Juraj, who finished second with 252.8, ahead of the two Indians as names like 50-year-old Turkish veteran Yusuf Dikec fell by the wayside.

This was Tomar’s first senior ISSF World Cup stage medal.