Cairo, October 11 (Daily Kiran) : Udayveer Singh Siddhu from India achieved a remarkable victory at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup held in Cairo on October 11, 2026. The 24-year-old shooter secured the gold medal in the men’s 10-meter air pistol event with an impressive score of 240.6.
In a thrilling final, Udayveer narrowly defeated Germany’s Christian Reitz, a seasoned Olympic medalist, by just 0.5 points. Reitz finished with a score of 240.1, earning the silver medal, while Italy’s Paolo Monna took home the bronze with a score of 219.8.
Udayveer maintained his composure during the elimination rounds. Despite trailing Reitz by 0.3 points before his final two shots, he delivered scores of 10.2 and 9.8. Reitz scored 9.6 on both attempts, which allowed Udayveer to clinch victory on the last shot.
Earlier in the day, Udayveer qualified for the finals by finishing fourth in the qualification round, scoring a total of 585 across six series (99, 98, 98, 97, 97, 96). Jonathan Gavin Antony, another Indian shooter, topped the qualification round with an impressive score of 586, although he was competing solely for ranking points. Antony shared the top spot with Monna.
Among other Indian competitors, Ajendra Singh Chauhan performed well, finishing 14th with a score of 580. Olympic medalist Sarabjot Singh placed 31st with 574 points. Kumar Yogesh, competing in the ranking points category, scored 573 points, showcasing his potential. Overall, the Indian shooters exhibited a mixed performance, with Jonathan Gavin Antony’s showing being the most notable.
The final also featured Turkey’s Yusuf Dikech, a medalist from the Paris 2024 Olympics, who finished seventh with a score of 138.0. Greece’s Georgios Gampierakis placed fourth with 198.7, while Latvia’s Emils Vasaramanis came in fifth with a score of 177.6.
The ISSF World Cup runs from October 8 to October 16, 2026, with India sending a 24-member team. The team arrived in Cairo after completing an intensive national camp in Dehradun from October 1 to 7, 2026, at the Maharana Pratap Sports College. The shooters focused on match simulations and refining their technical processes during the camp. India is competing in eight individual Olympic events and two mixed team events.
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