Jhajjar’s shooting sensations, Suruchi and Manu Bhaker, delivered a stellar double podium finish at the Las Palmas shooting range in Lima, Peru, on Tuesday (April 15, 2025). Competing on the opening day of the second ISSF World Cup stage for Rifle, Pistol, and Shotgun events this year, Suruchi claimed her second consecutive World Cup gold in the women’s 10m air pistol final, while Manu secured silver—her sixth individual medal at this level. Suruchi scored 243.6 in the 24-shot final, edging out her Olympic medal-winning compatriot by 1.3 points. China’s Yao Qianxun took bronze.
India had a successful day overall, collecting medals of all three colors. Earlier in the day, Saurabh Chaudhary clinched bronze in the men’s air pistol, placing India at the top of the medal standings, with China trailing in second after winning the men’s gold.
The Indian pair showed early signs of dominance in the 60-shot qualification round, where Suruchi finished second with a score of 582, and Manu secured fourth with 578. Their teammate Sainyam narrowly missed out, finishing 11th with 571.
In the final, Suruchi quickly found her rhythm and climbed to second after the first five shots. Yao took the early lead while Manu was in fourth place behind Uruguay’s Julieta Jimenez. After the second series, Suruchi briefly slipped to third as China’s Meng Yufei closed in on Yao, but the Indians soon found their stride.
As the pressure mounted, Suruchi and Manu surged ahead while Meng dropped out of medal contention. Manu’s two shots in the 9s during the 16th and 17th rounds likely cost her the top spot, while Suruchi remained consistent to secure the gold.
Yao fought back to overtake Jimenez for bronze, but with two shots remaining, Suruchi held a 0.7 lead over Manu. She extended that margin with two strong final shots, continuing an impressive run that began with her winning streak at the Nationals in December last year.
Speaking to ISSF Media, Manu Bhaker, a circuit senior candidate, had words of respect for her compatriot, Suruchi Singh Inder. The Paris Olympics double medallist said, “It makes me really happy to see young Indian shooters coming up and doing well at the international level.”
“Suruchi has done exceptionally well both in Buenos Aires and now in Lima and I hope this continues for a long time. At the same time I hope to keep the pace up with the youngsters”, she added.
Manu, who had missed out on a medal in Buenos Aires, said, “It feels good to be back at the podium.”
“I feel I improved a lot from last time, especially in the finals. The qualifications could have been better, but everyday is a learning curve and I will try to improve on it next time”, said Bhaker.