China's shooters Liu, Yao, Hu extend golden dominance at ISSF World Championship
CAIRO, Nov. 11 (Xinhua) -- Reigning Olympic champion Liu Yukun, together with Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai, led another triumphant day for China at the 2025 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle/Pistol on Tuesday in Cairo.
Continuing China's commanding form, Liu won the men's 50-meter rifle three positions title and the duo of Yao and Hu captured the 10-meter air pistol mixed team gold later in the day, both edging Indian opponents in tight finals.
In a tense men's 50-meter rifle three positions final, Liu totaled 467.1 points to narrowly beat India's Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, who scored 466.9. France's Romain Aufrere took bronze with 454.8.
The result came a day after India's Samrat Rana edged China's Hu by 0.4 points for the men's 10-meter air pistol gold. Liu's victory further strengthened China's lead in the medal table, with India in pursuit.
"The Indian and European shooters did put some pressure on me. They're all familiar rivals, but they've clearly improved," Liu told Xinhua. "I had a gap year without much competition, while others kept progressing, so I did feel the pressure."
Reflecting on his decisive final shot, Liu said he focused only on execution. "I wasn't in my best form today. I just told myself to focus and shoot a 10. If he did better, he deserved to win. Whoever performs better should take the title."
Despite the narrow margin, Liu stayed composed. "Even if I hadn't won, I wouldn't regret it. I think my performance was acceptable and I'm happy with it," he said.
He compared the duel to a high-level game. "A bit like playing a video game where everyone's at a similar level." It left him both excited and motivated, he added, calling the contest intense and fun.
Later in the day, Yao and Hu extended China's run by defeating India's Samrat and Esha Singh 16-10 in the 10-meter air pistol mixed team final, adding to China's haul in Cairo, where Yao earlier won the women's individual title and Hu finished runner-up in the men's event.
"There were ups and downs, but overall it was within the normal range," said Yao. "I always compete in multiple events, and I believe every day is a new start, so no matter what happened the previous day, it shouldn't affect the next competition."
Yao downplayed her streak, attributing it to "better luck," and said her focus is to "do the work that needs to be done each day."
The win also brought quick redemption for Hu, who had narrowly missed the men's individual title a day earlier. This time, he and Yao delivered a composed performance that reinforced China's strong week.
"I feel a bit better than yesterday," Hu said, crediting his teammate for keeping the pair in contention. "I was performing poorly in the qualification round, couldn't adjust. But Yao shot well and pulled me through -- it gave me a chance to start over," he added, calling the partnership "very pleasant."
Samrat and Singh's silver highlighted India's successful run, following Samrat's men's 10-meter air pistol gold and Anish Bhanwala's men's 25-meter rapid fire pistol silver earlier in the championship.
In the bronze match, South Korea's Oh Ye-jin and Hong Su-hyeon beat Iran's Haniyeh Rostamiyan and Vahid Golkhandan 16-8.
The 2025 ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol, hosted by Egypt from Nov. 6 to 18, features more than 700 shooters from around the world. ■