New Delhi: India’s Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar delivered a stunning performance at the ISSF World Championships Rifle/Pistol 2025 in Cairo, equalling the world record and winning silver in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event. The two-time Olympian shot 466.9 in the 45-shot final, narrowly missing gold to China’s Olympic champion Liu Yukun, who finished with 467.1.
This marks Aishwary’s first individual medal at the World Championships and further cements his place among the world’s elite rifle shooters. His qualification round was exceptional, scoring perfect 200s in both Kneeling and Prone positions, followed by 197 in Standing for a total of 597. This matched the existing world record jointly held by Liu Yukun and Linshu Du of China. Fellow Indian shooter Niraj Kumar also impressed, qualifying fifth with 592 and finishing fifth in his first world championship final.
In the final, Aishwary overcame an early setback after an 8.6 in his sixth Kneeling shot, recovering strongly in the Prone position with consistent series of 53.3, 52.7, and 52.7. The contest for gold remained neck and neck, with both Aishwary and Liu exchanging the lead multiple times. Heading into the last shot, Aishwary needed a 10.2 to claim gold but managed a 9.8, settling for a well-earned silver as Liu secured the title. France’s Romain Aufrere took bronze.
India added another silver through the pair of Esha Singh and Samrat Rana in the 10m air pistol mixed team event. The duo topped the qualification round with a combined 586 but were edged out 10-16 by China’s Kai Hu and Qianxun Yao in the final. Esha, the defending champion, and newly crowned air pistol world champion Rana showcased excellent form throughout.
With these results, India continues to hold second place in the overall medal tally with three gold, five silver, and three bronze medals, trailing China, which leads with eight golds and 14 medals in total.
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