Meghana Sajjanar wins first individual World Cup medal, bags bronze in 10m air rifle

Pune: Meghana Sajjanar has been competing on the international circuit for almost eight years. The Karnataka shooter finally clinched her first individual World Cup medal, a bronze in the 10m air rifle, at Ningbo, China, on Sunday. Meghana, 31, scored 230 in the final to secure the bronze. The gold went to 16-year-old Xinlu Peng, who set a world record with 255.3, surpassing the previous mark of 254.8 set by her compatriot Zifei Wang in April. Norway’s Jeaneter Hegg Duestad claimed silver with 252.6. Meghana had qualified for the final with a score of 632.6. In the final, she maintained consistency by shooting all 10s across 22 shots. A few low 10s, however, affected her chances of climbing higher in the ranking. “A World Cup medal has come after a long journey. The journey was filled with a lot of ups and downs,” she told TOI.