ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun:
Iranian pair undone by China, settles for 10m air pistol silver
Iranian duo Hanieh Rostamian and Vahid Golkhandan settled for silver in the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the ISSF World Championship in Doha, Qatar, after losing to China’s Shen Yiyao and Bu Shuaihang in Friday’s final.
The gold-medal contest developed into a close battle, with both teams producing consistently strong performances throughout. China 2 eventually secured the title with a total of 487.1 points, holding off Iran, which finished with 481.3.
Shen and Bu combined effectively to deliver the winning performance. Bu was particularly impressive, finishing with an individual score of 246.7, while Shen added 240.4 to give China 2 the victory.
Iran kept the pressure on until the final stages, with Rostamian scoring 245.6 points and Golkhandan contributing 235.7.
China 1, represented by Yao Qianxun and Hu Kai, secured bronze with 416.6 points. Yao finished with 210.5, while Hu added 206.1, ensuring China claimed two of the three medals in the event.
Vietnam 2, featuring Nguyen Thuy Trang and Pham Quang Huy, finished fourth with 357.0 points. Nguyen recorded 177.7, while Pham contributed 179.3.
Friday’s event came a day after Rostamian finished fourth in the women’s 10m air pistol competition in the Qatari capital.
The Iranian shooter scored 201.2 points in the final. Jiang Ranxin claimed gold with 242.4 points, narrowly edging fellow Chinese shooter Yao Qianxun, who scored 242.1, while Hungary’s Veronika Major finished third with 222.1.
With two Chinese shooters occupying the top two positions, Rostamian, despite missing out on a podium finish, secured Iran’s first quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, earning a second appearance at the Games after making her debut at Tokyo 2020.