Unwell Rudrankksh wins World Cup gold

Unwell Rudrankksh wins World Cup gold 

• World champion Rudrankush Patil braved fatigue and fever to clinch his first World Cup individual gold in men's 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo on Tuesday. Rudrankush, 19, qualified sixth for the 8-man final with a score of 629.3. He later topped the ranking round with a score of 262 to qualify for the gold medal match.

• In the final, he didn't sweat much as he registered a comfortable 16-8 win over Germany's Maximilian Ulbrich. "I was down with fever and cold and I had exhausted myself during the mixed match yesterday. Normally, the individual matches are scheduled first, but it was the opposite here. Nonetheless, it was an experience for me how to utilize my energy well," Rudrankush told TOI.

• The Cairo range emerging as Rudrankush's Favorite hunting ground. After winning the World Championships title last year, the Thane shooter has won five gold here, which includes two mixed event gold (1 WCH, 1 WC) and three individual medals (1 WCH, 1 WC, 1 WC Finals).

• It was the Cairo range that broke Rudrankush's heart in his first World Cup participation where he finished 11th. "It looks like I have taken my revenge properly," the teenager said in jest. "My first time here was disappointing as I couldn't even make it to the final. But after that I have won all the gold medals here."