India’s Anish Bhanwala created history on Friday by winning the country’s first ever medal in 25m rapid-fire pistol event in the ISSF World Cup Final. The 21-year old bagged a bronze medal in the tournament in Doha on Friday. With the podium finish, he also ended India’s medal drought in the tournament.
According to reports, Anish shot 27 in the final to win the bronze medal. World championship bronze medallist Peter Florian of Germany took the gold with 35 hits. Reigning world champion and double Olympic medallist Li Yuehong of China was second with 33 hits.
In the final, Florian started off with four perfect fives. He then had another five in the seventh series, which was enough to give him the gold.
Yuehong also had four perfect series of five hits and a couple of fours. It ensured that his score of two in the seventh series did not deny him a medal lesser than silver.
Anish did well to keep pace. He blasted off with two fives for his third and fourth series to go with three series of four-hits.
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Chinese Jueming Zhang and Clement Bessaguet were the first two players to be eliminated. Czech Matej Rampula followed with a no-hit in the sixth series. This ensured a medal for Anish.
However earlier, Anish barely managed to qualify for the final. His qualification score of 581 was just enough to pip German ace Christian Reitz to seventh.
With the medal, Anish has signed off the season in style. He won his first ever senior individual ISSF World Cup stage medal, first senior Asian Championships medal and a Paris Olympic quota place this year.
