Shooter Shreyasi Singh won the gold medal in the women's double trap shooting event in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Shreyasi claimed the top spot after going past Australia's Emma Cox and Scotland's Linda Pearson.
Shreyasi produced some excellent shooting in the finals to beat Emma Cox 2 shots to 1 in the shoot-off. The other Indian contender in the field, Varsha Varman finished fourth with 86.
Twenty-six-year-old Shreyasi improved on her silver medal-winning effort at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games four years ago. She had won a silver medal in the double trap event at the 2017 Commonwealth Shooting Championships as well.
Shreyasi, whose grandfather and father served in the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) as its president, represented the country in two events at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games Delhi but failed to win any medals.
"I'm feeling really well. In 2014, I won the silver and I was really upset that I couldn't win the gold but now, also I was trailing, but when I got the opportunity to fight more and fight harder in the shoot off, I was really happy about that, and I gave it 100 per cent," Shreyasi said.
"Emma is of course a brilliant competitor to be winning the gold medal against, so lots of wishes to her. She shot really well, too. But I think god is on my side and I'm feeling really lucky."
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Cox missed 12 of her 30 shots in the fourth round after placing herself in the gold medal position.
On her comeback after trailing in two rounds, Shreyasi said, "My coaches really helped me, and my family is also here so they were a big support for me. I just had it in me that I want to win the gold medal.
"I don't want to go back with another silver, I want to win the gold medal."
Earlier today, Om Prakash Mitharval claimed the bronze in the men's 50m air pistol event, his second at the 21st Commonwealth Games. Mitharval posted a score of 201.1 in the final. Daniel Repacholi of Australia took the gold with a new Commonwealth Games record of 227.2. Shakil Ahmed of Bangladesh won the silver with a score of 220.5.
Defending champion Jitu Rai, however, had a disappointing outing with a score of 105.0. He had claimed the gold in the 10m air pistol event and was gunning for a similar performance, but could not continue the momentum he has displayed so far in this year's Commonwealth Games. Jitu is a Commonwealth Games gold medallist in 50m air pistol event from four years ago in Glasgow and the 2016 World Cup Finals' 'Champion of Champions'.
Mitharval had also won the bronze in the 10m air pistol event on Monday with a score of 214.3.
India has had a fairy-tale run at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Its medal tally now stands at 12 gold, four silver and seven bronze. Shooters, especially, have been on a medal-winning spree with Heena Sidhu, Jitu Rai and Manu Bhaker bringing in the gold for India.
Heena won the gold in women's 25m pistol event of the Commonwealth Games. She had previously won the silver in the 10m air pistol event. Sixteen-year-old Manu Bhaker had bested Heena in the same event when she won the gold. Heena and Annu Singh had both entered the final of the women's 25 metre pistol event at the Commonwealth Games 2018. Heena had finished third with 579 in the standings before rapidly moving up to claim the top spot.
Mehuli Ghosh and Apurvi Chandela also added to India's medal tally in the Commonwealth Games with a silver and bronze respectively in the women's 10m air rifle event. Seventeen-year-old Ghosh won her silver after a shoot-off with Singapore's Martina Lindsay Veloso.
With inputs from agencies