Hu Kai claims fourth straight gold in men's 10m air pistol at ISSF World Cup in Ningbo

NINGBO, China, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chinese shooter Hu Kai extended his unbeaten streak in the men's 10m air pistol on Tuesday, winning his 4th consecutive ISSF World Cup gold medal of the season after a tense final on home soil. Teammate You Changjie, making his World Cup debut, claimed silver to secure a Chinese one-two finish.

Hu topped qualification with 589 points, but the final was filled with drama. After the opening stage, he trailed in second place by 0.5 points before surging ahead with a series of 10.8 and 10.4. The world No. 1 then held his lead through the middle stages, as the order behind him shifted repeatedly.

A gripping moment came in the 20th shot, which decided fourth place. Italy's Federico Nilo Maldini, 0.7 points behind Switzerland's Jason Solari, produced a 10.8, but Solari answered with a 10.7 to edge through.

In the decisive final four shots, You appeared ready to snatch victory with a 10.9, but faltered with an 8.6 on the next attempt. Hu immediately capitalized, steadying himself to finish on 242.3 points for gold. You took silver with 241.5, while Solari claimed bronze on 220.4.

"It feels extremely exciting and an honor to once again stand on the top of the podium," said Hu. "Being able to win these medals in my home country is very special. There's still a long way to go, and I will keep working hard."

You, 32, was proud of his first World Cup medal. "I feel very honored to win a medal in my first World Cup. Next, I'll reflect on the experience, take away the lessons, and keep working hard," he said.

The victory sealed Hu's sweep of all four World Cup titles this season, after earlier triumphs in Cairo, Baku and Munich. Despite his dominance, he remained modest: "Each World Cup had good aspects and shortcomings. Sometimes I performed well, sometimes I was just lucky. My fundamentals and experience are still lacking, so I need to treat every match as practice and keep improving." ■