Kazakh athletes failed to reach the finals in two events on the third day of the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China. Kirill Tsukanov came closest in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol, according to infohub.kz.
Tsukanov scored 580 points to finish 10th among 53 competitors. He tied with French shooter Jean Kikampoua, who secured the last final spot, but lost on inner tens — 19 to 25. Eight advanced. Nikita Chirukin ranked 34th with 573 points, and Artemiy Kabakov was 41st with 569. German shooters Oliver Geis and Florian Peter led qualifying with 584 each, with Geis taking first on more inner tens.
In women's 10m air pistol, Valeriya Popelova was the top Kazakh with 565 points for 61st among 82, missing the cut by 14 points. Saule Alimbek and Nina Starova each scored 558, placing 77th and 79th respectively. China's Shen Yiyao won qualifying with 588 points; the last finalist had 579.
The third World Cup stage runs July 20-29 in Hangzhou with 686 shooters from 61 countries. Ten medal events are scheduled. Kazakhstan fields 16 athletes, using the tournament as key preparation for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. At the previous stage in Germany, Valeriy Rakhimzhan finished eighth in men's 10m air pistol and Arina Malinovskaya also placed eighth in women's 50m rifle three positions.