I did not bog down under pressure: Jitu Rai after winning gold in ISSF WC

Ace Indian shooter Jitu Rai, who clinched gold in the 50m-pistol event in the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) , has said that he just tried to focus on his performance and techniques which helped him to come out victorious.

"My preparation was good and hence, I did not bog down under pressure. I am happy that I was able to get two bronze and a gold medal. I don't observe other shooters, I only focus on my own performance," Rai told in an exclusive interview to ANI.

On Wednesday, Jeetu recorded a total score of 230.1 in the finals of the 50m-pistol event to hand India their first gold medal of the tournament here at Karni Singh Shooting Range.

Meanwhile, Amanpreet Singh, other Indian in the fray, posted a final score of 226.9 to clinch silver in the same event.

Jubilant after bagging her first World Cup medal, Amanpreet said that he felt extremely proud as a sportsperson to see the Indian flag rise.

"This is my first World Cup medal and it feels good. I am happy I performed well. Since it was final, there was huge crowd and the pressure wa equally there. I felt proud as a sportsman to see the Indian flag rise," he added.

Reflecting on his strategy, Amanpreet echoed similar views as Jitu and said that he just tried to focus on his techniques during the contest.

The duo's effort meant that with a total of one Gold, two Silver and two Bronze medals, India are placed fourth in the medal tally behind leaders China (six Gold, six Silver), Italy (two Gold, one Bronze0 and Australia (two Gold).

Earlier, Jitu had won bronze in the 10-metre Air pistol event. The 29-year-old marksman, who made an eighth-place finish in the men's 10m air pistol final at the Rio Olympics, was languishing towards the bottom of the table in the initial stages of the final before he made a late surge to come into medal contention.

Meanwhile, Ankur Mittal missed gold by a whisker and settled for the silver medal in the men's double trap event while Pooja Ghatkar clinched the bronze medal in the women's 10m Air Rifle event.