Chinese shooters shine with three golds at ISSF World Cup Final

Chinese shooters Huang Yuting, Sheng Lihao and Xie Yu all won championships at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday.

Huang claimed the women's 10-meter air rifle title after breaking the world record in the event with 254.5 points. She was competing against some of the world's top athletes, including Anna Janssen of Germany, who set the new qualification world record with 636.9 points.

Huang took the lead after the first series and closed in on the previous world record of 250.4 points, held by her compatriot Han Jiayu, following two perfect 10.9 shots in the penultimate series. And when Huang was presented with the chance to make history, the 18-year-old seized the opportunity.

"It's an unforgettable year, a shining chapter in my 18th year. I have learned and gained so much," Huang said.

Sonam Uttam Maskar of India finished second with 252.9 points and Oceanne Muller of France placed third.

Sheng, who paired with Huang in July to win the 10-meter air rifle team title at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, edged Istvan Peni of Hungary by 0.1 point in the men's 10-meter air rifle final to top the podium in the Indian capital.

Sheng only held a 0.9-point advantage over Peni before the final shot. The 19-year-old from Jiangsu Province then scored 10.0 to finish with 251.4 points. And even though Peni tallied 10.8 points on his final attempt, the impressive effort was not good enough to push him past Sheng. Jiri Privratsky of the Czech Republic finished third.

Xie Yu, who pocketed the men's 10-meter air pistol gold medal at Paris 2024, continued China's dominance at the World Cup Final by outlasting defending champion Robin Walter of Germany. Sheng clinched the title with 244.6 points, while Walter finished second, just 1.3 points off the pace. Federico Nilo Maldini of Italy came in third.