New Delhi: "I simply grab the gun and fire. "Like most shooters, I don't have pre-game rituals, and I don't visualize. I don't think too much at the firing station or even in a final." Before departing for the current rifle/pistol World Cup in Munich, Suruchi Phogat explained her strategy in this manner. A week later, she demonstrated that it doesn't really matter if her techniques sound a bit too straightforward for an experienced shooter, as long as she can, you know, grab the pistol and shoot.

India's newest shooting star overcame the competitive lineup on Friday to win her third consecutive World Cup gold, mirroring her victories in Lima and Buenos Aires in April. Munich presented a significantly more challenging test of ability and character than the twin finals in the South American leg, where Suruchi had combined 244.6 and 243.6, respectively.

"To be honest, the competition in South America wasn't that difficult; Munich is bound to be much tougher because all the big shooters turn up," she stated. The 19-year-old proved more than capable in Germany, her 241.9 narrowly defeating Camille Jederzejewski of France (241.7) and Yao Qianxun of China, who scored 221.7.

The level of competition can be judged by the fact that four of her seven opponents in the medal round had previously competed in the Paris Olympics, while the current Olympic champion, Oh Yejin, and the Paris bronze medalist, Manu Bhaker, were unable to even make the cut.

Suruchi's accomplishment capped off a remarkable streak that started last December when she won all three individual titles (senior, junior, and youth) at the National Championships. She then won the National Games before achieving a golden double in South America during her senior World Cup debut.

She demonstrated plenty of evidence of her ability during the qualification itself, shooting an impressive 588 to match the national record set by Manu. Yao led the 110-strong field with a score of 589. Sainyam, a compatriot of RPO, finished fifth in the qualification with 580. With a total of 570, Asian Games gold medalist Palak Gulia placed 36th, while Lima World Cup silver medalist Simranpreet Kaur Brar finished 51st with 568.

Suruchi set her personal best in the final, sprinting ahead early with a 52.1 in the first series of five shots. After the next series, she was in second place due to a few nines, but she regained the lead with a strong 10.8 on the 12th shot.

After Jederzejewski, a 25m silver medalist in Paris, took the lead with a 10.7 and 10.5, a 9.7 on her 16th shot allowed Yao to concede the advantage to her.

Suruchi maintained her second-place position for the following two series, and just as it seemed that Jederzejewski had done enough with a 0.5-point lead, the Indian turned the tables on Jederzejewski, who could only shoot a 9.5, by hitting a crucial 10.5 on her penultimate shot.

Suruchi made a 9.5 on her last attempt, turning a 0.5-point disadvantage into a 0.5-point lead in one shot. Suruchi completed her hat-trick as Jederzejewski could only reply with a 9.8, necessitating a minimum score of 10 to compel a shoot-off.

The young girl was clearly upset with her last shot, and she examined the scoresheet's generous display of nines very carefully.

Overall, she scored a 9 nine times in the final and surrendered the lead twice, spots that she and her coach Suresh Singh will undoubtedly discuss when she practices at the local ranges.

"She is obviously dissatisfied with her most recent try. Everyone wants to finish nicely, and oftentimes the impression of a final shot lingers far longer. In the commentary, Manu, who shared the podium with Suruchi in Lima, stated that it appeared to be the case with her.

Suruchi's competence in remaining cool under pressure and making a comeback was noteworthy, especially considering she had only recently made her senior debut three months prior. The rivalry among the Indian pistol shooters is bound to get more thrilling, with Manu still to find her form and Brar, Gulia, and Sainyam having all experienced different levels of success on the international stage.

On Saturday, the final day of the tournament, Manu and Suruchi will once more line up for the mixed team competition. The Paris double medalist will partner with Aditya Malra, while Suruchi will partner with Varun Tomar. Anish Bhanwala's 18th-place finish was the highest in the men's 25m pistol event, but no Indian advanced to the final.

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