New Delhi: India secured third place at the ISSF World Cup in Lima, Peru, wrapping up the event with a total of seven medals—two gold, four silver, and one bronze. Although the final day saw Indian shooters Prithviraj Tondaiman and Pragati Dubey fall short in the trap mixed team event, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) expressed satisfaction with the overall performance, particularly praising the young contingent.
The duo of Tondaiman and Dubey scored a combined 134 to finish eighth, narrowly missing out on a place in the medal round. Another Indian team, Lakshay and Neeru, ended in 13th position with a score of 128. Only the top four teams advanced to the medal rounds.
India’s final medal of the competition came from Simranpreet Kaur Brar, who earned a bronze in the women’s 25m pistol event on Monday. Despite matching the USA in total medal count, the Americans edged out India for second place due to a higher number of gold medals. China topped the leaderboard with 13 medals—four gold, three silver, and six bronze.
Among the standout Indian performers was 18-year-old Suruchi Inder Singh, who won both of India’s gold medals. She claimed the 10m air pistol title, beating seasoned Olympian Manu Bhaker, and later teamed up with Saurabh Chaudhary to win gold in the mixed team event. Suruchi finished the World Cup campaign with three golds and one bronze, making her the most successful Indian shooter of the tournament.
Another rising star, Arya Borse, made a mark in her World Cup debut, reaching three finals and winning two silver medals in the mixed team rifle category.
K Sultan Singh, Secretary General of the NRAI, lauded the young team’s resilience and adaptability. “It was a young squad and competing in unfamiliar conditions halfway across the world was a great learning experience. Their ability to adapt and deliver results bodes well for the future, especially with the LA Olympics on the horizon,” he said in a statement.
The Indian shooting team has shown consistent performance over consecutive World Cups in Argentina and Peru, reaching 32 finals across various events and returning with 15 medals, including six gold.
Singh also highlighted India’s growing depth in shooting. “What’s most encouraging is that many top-tier shooters didn’t even travel for this tour, and yet we saw such strong results. It shows the strength of our bench and the direction Indian shooting is headed,” he added.
Looking ahead, the next international challenge for Indian shooters will be the Cyprus World Cup for shotgun events, which kicks off in early May in Nicosia.
