China tops medal table at ISSF World Cup in Munich

BERLIN, May 30 (Xinhua) -- China finished on top of the medal table at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol Munich 2026 after sweeping the two mixed team titles on Saturday, while the competition also featured two world-record performances.

China led the medal tally with four gold and three bronze medals, making it the only team to win seven medals in Munich. India finished second with 2-2-0, while Norway ranked third with 2-1-0.

China closed the competition in commanding fashion on Saturday. In the 10m air rifle mixed team final, Wang Zifei and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao combined for 505.5 points to take gold, two points ahead of Norway's Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg. The other Chinese team of Han Jiayu/Ma Sihan bagged a bronze.

The Chinese team then completed the sweep in the 10m air pistol mixed team final, where Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai edged India's Manu Bhaker and Samrat Rana by just 0.3 points. Yao and Hu finished with 483.9 points, while India took silver with 483.6 points.

China's strong campaign had begun earlier in the week with Zhang Changhong's victory in the men's 10m air rifle. Zhang won a dramatic final with 253.7 points after both he and South Korea's Shin Min-ki fired perfect 10.9s in the last series.

Su Lianbofan then produced one of the standout performances of the event, setting a world record of 35 hits to win the men's 25m rapid fire pistol final. France's Clement Bessaguet took silver with 34 hits, while Germany's Florian Peter earned bronze in front of the home crowd.

"I am very excited now," Su said after the final. "I failed to reach the final at the previous World Cup in April, but over the past month, I pushed myself hard in training. In the end, I did not let my coach down and won the gold medal."

The victory marked not only Su's first World Cup title, but also another milestone for China in an event where its shooters have shown growing strength since the Paris Olympic cycle.

India also enjoyed a memorable World Cup. Esha Singh, 21, broke both the senior and junior world records in the women's 25m pistol final, winning gold with 43 hits. She later added a silver in the women's 10m air pistol, where compatriot Suruchi Inder Singh led an Indian one-two finish with 242.1 points.

Host nation Germany also left with important podium finishes, including Doreen Vennekamp's silver in the women's 25m pistol, Anna Janssen's bronze in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions and Florian Peter's bronze in the men's rapid fire pistol. Enditem