Indian shooters showcased their dominance at the World University Shooting Championship, clinching an impressive 24 medals, including nine golds, nine silvers, and six bronzes. The five-day event, held at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, concluded on Wednesday, with two-time Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Asian Games champion Palak Gulia leading the charge for India.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar’s stellar performance
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar was the standout performer, earning four medals across various events. The 23-year-old secured a silver in the Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions and contributed significantly to India’s success in the team events. Aishwary, along with Adriyan Karmakar and Parikshit Singh Brar, won the gold in the Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions Team. He also led the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Team to gold alongside Smit Rameshbhai Moradiya and Umamahesh Maddineni. Additionally, Aishwary triumphed in the 10m Air Rifle Mixted Team with Sanjeeta Das, defeating South Korea’s Hyobeen Kim and Junhwan Lee in a thrilling 17-15 gold medal match.
Palak Gulia shines with three medals
Palak Gulia, the reigning Asian Games champion in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol, also delivered a stellar performance, bagging three medals. Palak won the silver in 10m Air Pistol, finishing ahead of fellow Indian Arshdeep Kaur. She then teamed up with Arshdeep and former junior world champion Sainyam to win gold in the team event. In the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, Palak and Amit Sharma clinched gold after a nail-biting victory over compatriots Sainyam and Samrat Rana.
Skeet shooter Bhavtegh Singh Gill claimed the only individual Gold
The only individual gold for India in the competition came from Bhavtegh Singh Gill, who triumphed in Men’s Skeet. The 21-year-old won in a tense 2-1 shoot-off against Cyprus’s Petros Englezoudis after both shooters finished tied with 58 out of 60 targets.
Impressive performance by Smit Moradiya in Men’s 10m Air Rifle
Smit Rameshbhai Moradiya, another promising Indian shooter, came agonizingly close to gold in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle, but was narrowly edged out by Czech Olympian Jiří Přívratský. Moradiya’s silver was still a strong achievement in a highly competitive field.
Sift Kaur Samra narrowly missed medal in Women’s 50m Rifle Three Positions
Paris Olympian Sift Kaur Samra, who won the gold the Hangzhou Asian Games, finished fourth in the Women’s 50m Rifle Three Positions. However, she secured a silver in the team event, partnering with Manini Kaushik and Vanshika Shahi.
A strong showing for India
India’s impressive medal tally at the World University Shooting Championship underscores the country’s growing strength in shooting sports. The 24 medals, including a significant number of team and individual podium finishes, reflect the depth of talent in Indian shooting and set a strong foundation for future international competitions.