World C'ships: Indians continue to shine as Niraj, Aishwary reach 50m Rifle 3P final

NEW DELHI: India continued its impressive run at the ISSF World Championships 2026 as Niraj Kumar and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar booked their places in the final of the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event.

Niraj topped the qualification round with a score of 591-29x, while Aishwary secured fourth place with 586-27x, ensuring that both Indian shooters advanced to the final.

Their teammate Akhil Sheoran also contributed to India's success as the trio claimed the bronze medal in the team competition.

In another major achievement, Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju captured the women's 25m pistol team gold medal at the championship in Doha.

The Indian team recorded a combined score of 1761-68x, finishing ahead of the Republic of Korea (1748-66x), which took silver, and Vietnam (1745-54x), which settled for bronze.

Esha led the Indian contingent with an impressive 590-25x, while Manu scored 587-24x and Divya contributed 584-19x.

Both Esha and Manu also qualified for the individual final. Manu narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth with 27 hits, while Esha secured eighth position with 11 hits.

India added another medal to its tally through the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team event.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran and Niraj Kumar combined for a score of 1751-91x to claim bronze.

Czechia won the gold medal with 1754-92x, while Norway finished second with 1752-81x.

Aishwary was India's leading scorer with 587-33x, followed by Niraj (582-31x) and Akhil (582-27x).

The focus now shifts to November 11, when Niraj and Aishwary will compete in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions final, with India hoping to add another medal to its collection.

India's overall performance at the ISSF World Championships has been impressive, with several shooters delivering podium finishes across different events.

Niveditha Veloor Nair secured bronze in the women's 25m standard pistol, while Jaypal Malviya earned silver in the men's 10m air pistol.

The men's 50m pistol team comprising Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh won gold.

Ravinder further strengthened India's medal tally by claiming individual silver in the same discipline.

In the women's 10m air rifle team event, Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Shambhavi Kshirsagar also contributed to India's success by winning silver.

With multiple medals across team and individual competitions, the Indian shooting contingent continues to make a strong statement on the international stage at the ISSF World Championships 2026.