"VAN" (Sports Desk - 11.09.2025) :: Hu Kai has continued his incredible year, remaining undefeated in 2025 and across all four ISSF World Cup events in the men's 10m air pistol, following his latest win on home soil in Ningbo, China.
Capping off a fantastic season, Hu joins an exclusive group of athletes to win all four ISSF World Cup legs in a single event, in a single year.
To achieve this, he had to run the gauntlet against his teammates and an experienced athlete in the form of the Olympic silver medallist, Federico Nilo Maldini.
Heading into the elimination stage, he faced a strong challenge from the Italian Maldini, as well as Chinese compatriots Zhang Yifan and You Changjie. However, he did not have the lead - that was held by Iran's Vahid Golkhandan. However, just as he had gained momentum, Golkhandan slipped behind. Maldini would take the lead after the first elimination, followed by Switzerland's Jason Solari and Hu.
The next four shots determined the fate of the gold medal - and Hu's combination of 10.8 and 10.4, followed by 9.9 and 10.4, ensured he went from the bronze medal position, to the outright leader by a decent cushion. He was followed by Maldini, 2.1 points adrift. Solari - whose 8.1 would undo the pressure he was putting on the favourite - was just behind in third, closely ahead of You.
The early leader Golkhandan would finish fifth ahead of Zhang, with Jindrich Dubovy of Czechia and France's Florian Fouquet placing seventh and eighth.
By the time of the Iranian's elimination, Hu remained in the lead by 1.3 points, with You his closest challenger. Maldini was 0.2 behind the second Chinese athlete, with Solari a further 0.3 behind. It would be the Italian who would miss out on the podium. Despite scoring an impressive 10.8, the Swiss shooter reduced the damage on the second shot with a score of 10.7, having moved ahead on the first shot.
At the front, You was threatening Hu's perfect season, now reducing the gap to 0.7 with four shots to go. Solari would exit with the bronze, but what had been building as a dramatic final showdown between the two home athletes, would end with one error from the chaser. You had moved ahead by 0.2 points after scoring a perfect 10.9, but he would follow this up with an 8.6. Combined with Hu's 10.5, it put the favourite back in the lead and by 1.7 points.
This gap was enough to keep Hu in the gold medal position, finishing with a total of 242.3 to You Changjie's 241.5. For the 32-year-old You, it was a special occasion - winning a medal on his ISSF World Cup debut, shortly after making his international debut at the Asian Championship last month in Shymkent, where he finished 12th in the event.
"I'm very happy and excited to stand on top of the podium again," said Hu, after the competition. "I feel very honoured to have won two gold medals on home soil. There's still a long way ahead and we'll work hard and press forward."
Hu has won all four ISSF World Cup gold medals, as well as the Asian title this year and remains undefeated in 2025 heading into the ISSF World Championship and ISSF World Cup Final.
Responses
Leave your comment