Changwon: India’s Rahi Sarnobat beat the two home shooters Kim Kyeongae and Kim Jangmit to win the 25m Pistol Women event at the 2013 ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup in Changwon, Korea on Friday.
The 2011 Commonwealth Youth Games Champion Rahi Sarnobat had never won an ISSF Final before. Her best placement so far had been a third place, gained at the 2011 ISSF World Cup in Fort Benning.
Today, she made it to the final in fourth place after the qualification. Then, she secured a spot in the Gold medal match by placing in second at the semi-final, where she scored 15 points.
In the gold medal match, the 22-year old Indian shooter met the home shooter Kim Kyeongae, and beat her 8 to 6 points, claiming the Gold and leaving her opponent the Silver.
“It feels great to win this Gold medal. I had finished on the podium before, but I was not satisfied. I have been chasing this victory since long time!” Sarnobat said.
“Shooting is more and more popular, in India. When I started, years ago, it was just a game. Now I have turned into a professional, and I want to keep on shooting. I will participate in all ISSF World Cups next year, trying to secure a spot in the 2016 Olympic team.” She added.
The Bronze medal went to the 2012 Olympic Champion Kim Jaingmi of Korea. Shooting in front of a supportive home crowd, the young Korean shooter took full advantage of the new ISSF rules for the finals that set the score back to zero. She had indeed qualified in seventh place, with 582 points. But with the new rules, the semi-final is a new game. And there Kim stood out, climbing up the scoreboard with 13 points. Enough to access the Bronze medal match, where she met and beat China’s Zhang Jinging 8 to 6 poin.
