Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India made a strong start to their ISSF World Cup campaign for rifle and pistol in Granada, Spain, with shooters Palak and Mukesh Nelavalli clinching gold in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.The Indian duo secured top honours with a world record score of 487.7, which also stands as a junior world record.They were in impressive form during the qualification round as well.China’s Qianxun Yao and Kai Hu took the silver medal with a score of 484.8, while Hungary’s Veronika Major and Akos Karoly Nagy settled for bronze after finishing with 414.9 in the final.In the gold medal round, Palak shot 243.0, while Mukesh registered 244.7.The Indian pair had finished second in the qualification stage, behind the Chinese duo who topped the standings with 586-23x.Palak, 18, first rose to prominence at the 2023 Asian Games, where she won gold in the 10m air pistol individual event and a team silver medal. She also secured a quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics by setting an Asian Games record score of 242.1.Mukesh, meanwhile, is regarded as a rising name in Indian pistol shooting and is a junior world champion.
