Heena wins gold, Nivetha settles for bronze in Hannover shooting meet

Ace Indian shooter Heena Sidhu secured the gold medal in the 10 metre air pistol category of the international shooting competition of Hannover, marking a strong build-up to next weeks ISSF World Cup in Munich.

The 28-year-old was in rollicking form in the final where she was tied with France's Mathilde Lamolle at 239.8 points. However, Sidhu won the tie shot to clinch the yellow metal on Sunday.

Heena's compatriot Shri Nivetha settled for a bronze medal on 219.2 points.

After beginning with a series of scores in the 9s, Heena switched gears and notched up 10 and above consistently to break away from the field. Her second series produced consistent 10s and she even hit a perfect 10.9 in the elimination round to put herself in contention for gold.

After initially fighting for the 3rd-4th position, Heena scored a 10.9 on her 13th shot in the final to take the lead and then held her nerve till the end.

Heena qualified for the final in the fourth place scoring 572 while Shri Nivetha topped the qualification with a total of 582.

After bagging gold, Heena said in a release, "I am feeling good with how my training is shaping up. Of course, it's not perfect but we are moving in the right direction so it's just a matter of time.

"I am really looking forward to the competition in Munich," she added.

The Munich World Cup (May 22 to 29, 2018) will be Heena's second major competition after her twin medal success at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and the World Cup in South Korea.

Heena had won a gold in the 25 metre sports category in Gold Coast and a silver in her pet event, the 10 metre air pistol.

--IANS

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