Indian marksmen and markswomen displayed commanding form at the ISSF World Championship, securing two prestigious team podium finishes. The men's squad clinched the gold medal in the 50m pistol team event through a disciplined collective outing, while the women's unit held off fierce competition in the 10m air rifle team category to walk away with a well-earned silver medal.
Commanding Victory in Men's 50m Pistol Team Event
The Indian challenge in the men's 50m pistol team contest was spearheaded by the trio of Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Amanpreet Singh. Combining their efforts, they aggregated a total score of 1659 points to claim the top spot on the podium. Ravinder Singh emerged as the highest scorer among the Indians, shooting a solid 559 points. Multiple World Cup gold medallist Saurabh Chaudhary registered 551 points, while Amanpreet Singh contributed 549 points to seal the gold.
Alongside the team glory, Ravinder Singh delivered an outstanding individual campaign, bagging the individual silver medal in the same event. While the 50m pistol is not part of the current roster of Olympic events, the competition was intensely contested. In the individual standings, Anton Aristarkhov of Russia captured the gold medal with a tally of 561 points, whereas Romania's Luca Joldea secured the bronze medal after posting 558 points.
Podium Rivals in the 50m Pistol Team Contest
In the team rankings for the men's 50m pistol event, the Chinese contingent of Zhang Bingchen, Liu Junyi, and Feng Linlang accumulated 1648 points to finish in second place and take home the silver medal. The South Korean trio, comprising Hong Su-hyeon, Choe Bo-ram, and So Seung-seob, secured the bronze medal with an aggregate of 1643 points.
Silver Finish for Women's 10m Air Rifle Squad
The women's 10m air rifle team competition saw an equally resolute display from the Indian shooters. The lineup of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, and Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar amassed an aggregate of 1894.4 points to secure second place and the silver medal. China took the gold medal after leading the field with a total of 1899.8 points, while Japan secured the bronze medal with an overall score of 1892.6 points.
Elavenil Advances to Final With Olympic Quota in Sight
Elavenil Valarivan led the Indian charge in the rifle event, scoring 634.2 points to rank as the best Indian competitor on the range. Her teammates Sonam Uttam Maskar and Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar contributed 630.2 points and 629.7 points, respectively. By finishing third in the qualification round, Elavenil earned qualification to the individual final. Advancing to the medal round gives her an opportunity to contest for a medal and secure an Olympic quota place for India.
