Chinese shooters shine at ISSF World Cup in Granada with pair of golds

Chinese shooters showcased their dominance on the third day at the ISSF World Cup in the Spanish city of Granada, with Sheng Lihao claiming victory in the men's 10-meter air rifle on Thursday, while Xiao Jiaruixuan did likewise in the women's 25-meter pistol.

Sheng opened the men's 10-meter air rifle competition with authority, delivering two impressive shots that both scored 10.8, en route to claiming the title with a total score of 253.9 points. The reigning Olympic gold medalist finished ahead of Serbia's Aleksa Rakonjac, who celebrated his first World Cup medal, by 0.9 points.

Sweden's Olympic silver medalist Victor Lindgren took home bronze with 230.9 points. Meanwhile, the victory for Sheng marked his 10th gold and 15th overall medal in World Cup action.

The women's 25-meter pistol final saw Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Xiao clinch her first World Cup title, following a gripping duel with compatriot Kong Jieru.

Xiao excelled in qualification, scoring 590 points, before initially taking the lead after the second series. The 18-year-old Kong soon levelled the score at 39 hits in the final series, however, pushing the contest into a shootoff.

Both finalists were flawless in the initial shootoff, each hitting five out of five targets. But after moving into a second shootoff, Xiao emerged victorious by the tight margin of 4-3. France's Camille Jedrzejewski rounded out the podium with bronze.