Udhayveer Sidhu strikes gold at World Cup, opens India's senior medal account in Cairo

PUNE: A bout of anxiety, a Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan mood-lifter and gold. This is how Udhayveer Sidhu describes his journey traversed to his maiden World Cup gold as the Chandigarh shooter topped the podium in men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo on Sunday.Udhayveer, 24, won his first senior and a World Cup medal, after shooting 240.6 in the final. He beat Rio Games gold medallist and veteran Christian Reitz of Germany (240.1) and Paris Games bronze medallist Paolo Monna of Italy (219.8) for silver and bronze, respectively. Paris Games 10m pistol mixed event silver medallist Yusuf Dikec finished seventh.“It was a good match to win. It was my first World Cup medal and a gold, so I am happy with the result. It was more special as it came against three Olympic medallists, including the great Christian Reitz, who we have grown up watching,” Udhayveer told TOI.Udhayveer had a successful juniors’ phase, as he had won three World Championships golds, however, his transition to the seniors wasn’t very smooth.He had shot in his first international tournament (Olympic event) in Munich World Cup earlier this year, where he finished 37th. “It was a difficult phase. Like any struggling athlete, I also had my lows and that brought in some self-doubts and frustrations. But I feel that is part of any athlete’s life. I tried to stay positive and keep doing my things,” Udhayveer said.The shooter admitted that he was anxious about the match. “I was nervous and anxious the last night. But then I put on some music, listened to my favourite qawwalis by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and calmed myself before the match. During the match, I was not nervous,” he said.Udhayveer was struggling in fourth position till the 12th shot. He started climbing up with the 13th shot, a 10.6. Monna was still leading with consistent high 10s. The Indian took second spot after the 14th shot, leaving Reitz behind by 0.3 point. After making his place in the medals slot, Udhayveer kept it around 10, while Reitz and Monna shot 9s and 8s.Udhayveer’s consistency paid off after the 21st and 22nd shots when Monna hit a 9.9 and 8.9, while the Indian shot 10 and 9.8 to take the lead. Monna got the bronze.Udhayveer shot 585 in the qualification round. Ajendra Singh Chauhan (14th with 580) and Paris Games mixed event bronze medallist Sarabjot Singh (31st with 574) were far below.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.