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Heena Sidhu and Jitu Rai Bag Gold at Shooting World Cup

India’s first gold in the event.

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New Delhi is playing host to the ISSF shooting World Cup and after Pooja Ghatkar picked up the bronze in the 10m air rifle event on Friday, India have managed to bag their second medal of the meet.

Jitu Rai and Heena Sidhu teamed up in the 10m pistol mixed event and bagged the first-ever gold for India in the discipline. The Indian pair beat Japan's Yukari Konishi and Tomoyuki Matsuda 5-3 in the final. Slovenia's Naphaswan Yangpaiboon and Kevin Venta were placed third.

Heena and Jitu were trailing in the semifinal stage but staged a spirited fightback to enter the gold medal match and eventually won the 'golden badge'.

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This is the first time shooters are competing in mixed events at a World Cup, with talk of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics most likely including them for the first time at the biggest stage.

However, since it is being used on a trial basis in line with IOC's aim to achieve gender equality in its 2020 Tokyo Olympics program, medals are not being awarded even though the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) executive committee has ratified the recommendations.

The recommendations to include mixed gender event was given by the Abhinav Bindra-led ISSF Athletes Committee and the world governing body soon approved the proposal.

It was good, very interesting, opinions are still divided since it is early days. It will take time to settle down. But we will have to start preparing for this in earnest as this, we assume, is going to be part of the Olympics and World Championships.
Heena Sidhu
I am trying to figure out how it works. We are having a little difficulty right now as far as coordination is concerned but once the rules gets clear it will be better for us.
Jitu Rai

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