DOHA, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- World silver medalist Wang Zifei gave China a strong start at the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final on Saturday, claiming the women's 10m air rifle title with a last-shot victory over South Korea's Olympic champion Ban Hyo-jin, while Hu Kai kept his unbeaten World Cup record intact by taking gold in the men's 10m air pistol.
Wang delivered a 10.8 on her final shot to overturn a narrow deficit and finish with 253.4 points. Ban, who led for much of the elimination phase, closed with 253.1 for silver, while China's Han Jiayu secured bronze.
The contest remained tight throughout, with the top three separated by fractions of a point. Wang survived two shoot-offs against Han to stay in contention and entered the final two shots trailing Ban by 0.2. After Ban extended the margin to 0.3 with a 10.8 to Wang's 10.7, Wang responded with a decisive 10.8 of her own as Ban slipped to a 10.2, securing her first World Cup Final crown and reversing last month's world championship result.
"I'm so happy [for the gold]. I've been in this situation in China with my teammate before [in a shoot-off] so in a way I was quite relaxed," Wang told the ISSF official website.
In the men's air pistol final, Hu Kai extended his unbeaten World Cup run this season with a composed victory, finishing on 243 points after a tense closing sequence. Having just edged India's Varun Tomar into fourth place, Hu appeared in danger of elimination himself, trailing newly crowned world champion Samrat Rana by 1.3 points and Rio Olympic champion Christian Reitz by 1.6.
But the standings shifted dramatically in the penultimate series when both Rana and Reitz faltered with an 8.4 shot. Hu capitalized immediately with scores of 10.1 and 10.8, vaulting into the lead with a 0.6-point cushion. The 23-year-old maintained his composure in the final shot to secure the win over the 38-year-old Reitz.
"It's been an incredible season for me, and being able to stand here and compete against the best in the world is a real honor," Hu said.
The men's 10m air rifle final saw world silver medalist Victor Lindgren of Sweden hold off Olympic champion Sheng Lihao of China to claim his first World Cup Final title. Lindgren finished with 253.0 points, 0.4 ahead of Sheng.
Despite topping qualification with 637.7 - just 0.2 off his own world record - Sheng had a shaky start and sat fifth after the first 10 shots. The defending champion climbed back into contention, eliminating Hungary's Istvan Peni with a 10.7 in a shoot-off, but closed with a 10.7 to Lindgren's 10.8 and could not overturn the deficit.
Elsewhere on Saturday, India delivered a standout performance in the women's air pistol event as Inder Singh Suruchi led a one-two finish ahead of teammate Sainyam Sainyam. Suruchi also set a junior world record with 245.1 points, while China's Yao Qianxun claimed the bronze.
The three-day ISSF World Cup Final continues Sunday with the men's and women's 50m rifle three positions, men's 25m rapid fire pistol and women's 25m pistol finals. ■
