India shooter Rhythm Sangwan broke a 29-year-old record for the highest points scored in a 25m pistol qualification round at the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan on Saturday.
Sangwan scored 595 points in the qualification round to break the earlier record of 594, which was set by Bulgarian shooter Diana Iorgova in 1994. The previous record was matched by German shooter Doreen Vennekamp during the ISSF World Cup which had taken place in Bhopal, India, two months ago in March.
While the Indian shooter was the best performer in the qualification round, she could not replicate the performance during the finals of the same event, finishing eighth in the final standings with 10 points.
Chinese shooter Sixuan Feng won the gold medal with a tally of 38 points followed by Iran's Haniyeh Rostamiyan who scored 33 points, with the bronze medal going to Vennekamp.
India currently have a tally of four medals in the ISSF World Cup at Baku. On Friday, Hriday Hazarika and Nancy Mandhotra won the silver medals in the men's 10m air rifle event and women's 10m air rifle event respectively. Sarabjot Singh and Divya TS's combined efforts got India a gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event on Thursday.
MORE: Asian Kabaddi Championships returns after six years
The event in Baku are the second-last stage of the ISSF World Cup for rifle and pistol shooters. Its final stage will be held in Brazil's capital Rio de Janeiro and will be followed by the ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.
Who is Rhythm Sangwan? Five facts about the teen shooting sensation
- Sangwan's father is a police officer, and she was fascinated with her father's service revolver while growing up .
- Sangwan's father, Narender Sangwan, who is a Haryana Police DSP would allow her daughter to wear an empty holster which would please her immensely.
- In 2016, at the age of 13, she took up shooting at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, where she was trained by Vineet Kumar, a national-level shooter.
- Watching how serious Sangwan was about the sport, her father built her a basic range at their Faridabad home.
- During a two-hour training session, she shoots 150 shots with ease in both 10m and 25m which has helped her grow in the rapid-fire event.
How many ISSF World Cup medals Rhythm Sangwan has won in her career?
Sangwan has won five ISSF World Cup medals in her career.
| Year | Medal | Event |
| 2023 ISSF World Cup | Bronze | 10m Air Pistol - Women's Individual |
| 2023 ISSF World Cup | Gold | 10m Air Pistol - Mixed Team |
| 2022 ISSF World Cup | Gold | 25m Pistol - Women's Team |
| 2022 ISSF World Cup | Gold | 25m Rapid Fire Pistol - Mixed Team |
| 2022 ISSF World Cup | Silver | 10m Air Pistol - Women's Team |
| 2022 ISSF World Cup | Bronze | 25m Rapid Fire Pistol - Mixed Team |
MORE: Latest betting odds for IPL 2023
