New Delhi: China’s Olympic champion Li Yuehong notched a convincing victory in
the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol competition at the ISSF World Cup Final here, despite technical disruptions that temporarily halted the event.
The world record holder remained perfect after the first four series until Germany’s Christian Reitz appealed his three-out-of-five results, prompting the jury to allow a re-shoot.
The Rio Olympic champion raised his hand again during a subsequent shootoff against fellow German Oliver Geis after the fifth series. However, this time the jury denied the appeal, forcing Reitz to exit the competition in fifth place.
Although Li’s hopes of breaking his own world record of 39 hits were dashed after managing only three out of five hits in each series thereafter, his total of 34 hits was enough to secure his second ISSF World Cup Final title, following his victory in 2021.
Germany’s Florian Peter, who had beaten Li for gold in last year’s World Cup Final, finished second with 30 hits, while Li’s compatriot Wang Xinjie claimed third place. This victory capped a remarkable year for Li, who completed his collection of international titles with a long-awaited gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, his third Olympic appearance.
Reflecting on his future plans, the 35-year-old veteran expressed his desire to inspire the next generation, saying he hopes to “talk to young people and teach them how to shoot rapid fire pistol.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Chinese shooter Han Jiayu won a bronze in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions. Rikke Maeng Ibsen of Denmark overtook Norwegian Jeanette Hegg Duestad with a strong penultimate shot to win the title.
Olympic bronze medalist Zhang Qiongyue of China who had led by 0.7 points, fell to fifth after struggling in the standing position. In the women’s 25m pistol final, China added another bronze through Feng Sixuan, in a tense competition that featured multiple shootoffs.
Germany’s Josefin Eder narrowly edged out France’s Camille Jedrzejewski 36-35 to claim gold. Meanwhile, Olympic champion and world record holder Liu Yukun, fresh from being named the ISSF Athlete of the Year, missed the podium in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions.
Hungary’s Istvan Peni delivered a commanding performance, winning gold with 465.3 points and adding to his silver medal in the 10m air rifle event earlier in the week.
The ISSF World Cup Final will conclude on Thursday after the men’s and women’s trap and skeet events.
