It was a dream start to 2025 for China's Hu Kai, who dominated in the men's 10m air pistol final to win his first gold medal at the ISSF World Cup.
Taking part in the first final in Buenos Aires, Argentina he holds the honour of being the first 2025 ISSF World Cup winner.
Hu was in pole position from the start, opening with a shot of 10.8 and would not relinquish it to anyone. By the end of the first competition stage, the Chinese held a 1.9-point lead over Anton Aristarkhov, a three-time European junior champion and world junior silver medallist from 2017.
That lead would shorten slightly by the end of the elimination stage, but Hu held on by a comfortable margin with a total of 244.7, to Aristarkhov's 243.3. It was a momentous occasion for both as Hu won his first individual World Cup medal, previously having a best finish of 16th in 2023 in Lima. Aristarkhov previously had three top 10 World Cup finishes - and this time finally broke through.
Aristarkhov required a shoot-off to make it in the battle for gold, bettering Switzerland's Jason Solari, who performed very well in the elimination stage to win the bronze medal, going one position better than his previous best in 2023.
Germany's Christian Reitz was fourth ahead of India's Varun Tomar and Ravinder Singh. Olympic medallist Paolo Monna of Italy and top qualifier Valeriy Rakhimzhan of Kazakhstan were seventh and eighth.
Taking part in the first final in Buenos Aires, Argentina he holds the honour of being the first 2025 ISSF World Cup winner.
Hu was in pole position from the start, opening with a shot of 10.8 and would not relinquish it to anyone. By the end of the first competition stage, the Chinese held a 1.9-point lead over Anton Aristarkhov, a three-time European junior champion and world junior silver medallist from 2017.
That lead would shorten slightly by the end of the elimination stage, but Hu held on by a comfortable margin with a total of 244.7, to Aristarkhov's 243.3. It was a momentous occasion for both as Hu won his first individual World Cup medal, previously having a best finish of 16th in 2023 in Lima. Aristarkhov previously had three top 10 World Cup finishes - and this time finally broke through.
Aristarkhov required a shoot-off to make it in the battle for gold, bettering Switzerland's Jason Solari, who performed very well in the elimination stage to win the bronze medal, going one position better than his previous best in 2023.
Germany's Christian Reitz was fourth ahead of India's Varun Tomar and Ravinder Singh. Olympic medallist Paolo Monna of Italy and top qualifier Valeriy Rakhimzhan of Kazakhstan were seventh and eighth.