ISSF Shotgun World Cup: Mairaj-Ganemat clinch gold in skeet mixed team event

Cairo [Egypt], April 30 : At the ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2023 in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday, Indian shooters Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon won gold in the skeet mixed team competition.

To claim first place on the podium, the team defeated Luis Raul Gallardo Oliveros and Gabriela Rodriguez of Mexico 6-0 in the final.

The Italian team of Olympic gold medalist Gabriele Rossetti and two-time world championship silver medalist Simona Scocchetti won the bronze, as per Olympics.com.

Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan, who earned his fifth senior ISSF World Cup medal, shot 74/75 in the 30-team qualification round. The Indian pair scored a combined 143 out of 150, matching the Mexicans.

The Indian team won the shoot-off against the Mexican team 4-3 to win the qualification round.

To assist India win the gold medal in the final, the 47-year-old Mairaj Ahmad Khan fired flawless fours in the first two series.

The other Indian team competing, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Maheshwari Chauhan, failed to advance to the medal rounds after placing 10th in the qualifications with a score of 140.

Ganemat also won her second gold in the mixed team competition, giving her a total of four World Cup medals in shooting.

After coming in fourth in her ranking match on Friday in the women's solo skeet competition, Ganemat Sekhon narrowly missed qualifying for the medal round. She had finished third in the preliminary competition.

In contrast, Mairaj Ahmad Khan's performance in the men's individual competition was poor as he placed 57th in the qualifications.

The Cairo Shotgun World Cup started from April 25 and will go on till May 5.