NEW DELHI, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion Huang Yuting got China off to a flying start at the ISSF World Cup Final as she won the women's 10m air rifle gold with a new world record here on Tuesday.
The tournament saw high-level competition from the very beginning, with German shooter Anna Janssen setting new qualification world record with 636.9 points. Huang was in third place after Oceanne Muller of France, but made her move in the final.
Taking the lead after the first series, Huang never relinquished her position. Two perfect 10.9 shots in the penultimate series brought her close to the previous world record of 250.4 points, set by teammate Han Jiayu. The 18-year-old seized the moment, winning gold and raising the world record to an impressive 254.5 points.
Sonam Uttam Maskar of India won the silver medal with 252.9 points, and Muller took the bronze. Han finished fifth.
"It's an unforgettable year, a shining chapter in my 18th year. I have learned and gained so much," said Huang, who won the 10m air rifle mixed team gold and individual silver at the Paris Olympics.
In the men's 10m air rifle event, Huang's Olympic gold-winning partner Sheng Lihao secured victory by the narrowest of margins, edging out Hungary's Istvan Peni by just 0.1 point.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist trailed India's Arjun Babuta for most of the competition but took the lead after Babuta was unexpectedly eliminated in the series that decided the fifth place. Holding a 0.9-point advantage heading into the final shot, Sheng's 10.0 was enough to outlast Peni, who scored a 10.8. Sheng finished with 251.4 points, with Peni taking silver and Jiri Privratsky of the Czech Republic earning bronze.
China's dominance continued as Olympic champion Xie Yu showcased his quality again in the men's 10m air pistol final. The 24-year-old took advantage of Robin Walter's consecutive sub-10 scores in the last five shots, overtaking the defending champion to secure gold with 244.6 points. Walter settled for silver, 1.3 points behind, while Italy's Federico Nilo Maldini took bronze.
The only gold that eluded Team China on the opening day went to Camille Jedrzejewski of France, who won the women's 10m air pistol. Jedrzejewski now has her sights set on the 25m pistol title, which will be contested on Wednesday.
The ISSF World Cup Final continues on Wednesday with the men's and women's 50m rifle 3 positions, men's 25m rapid fire pistol and women's 25m pistol golds on offer. ■
