Indian shooters Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon won gold in the skeet mixed team event at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Cairo. This is India’s first medal at the event. The duo defeated Mexicans Luis Raul Gallardo Oliveros and Gabriela Rodriguez 6-0 in the final. Mairaj was in stellar form during the qualification round, shooting 74/75 to help the Indian pair shoot a combined 143 out of 150. They won a shoot-off with the Mexicans 4-3 to reach the final, where Mairaj and Ganemat dominated from the start. Mairaj repeated a perfect four in the second series, and even though Ganemat missed a couple, the Mexicans missed three birds. In the final series, Mairaj missed two targets and Ganemat one, but the Mexicans missed four in all, giving India a comprehensive win.
“I was very confident when I started. We knew from the beginning of the day that we will win gold. We are preparing for the Paris Olympics,” said Mairaj after the victory. Ganemat also spoke of “redemption” after they had no success in the individual skeet competitions. This is Ganemat’s fourth senior World Cup medal, including a second gold in the mixed team event. Italy took bronze through their pair of two-time World Championships silver medallist Simona Scocchetti and Rio Olympics champion Gabrielle Rossetti.
