New Delhi: Indian shooters delivered stellar performances at the ISSF World Cup Final on Sunday, with Simranpreet Kaur Brar clinching gold in the women’s 25m pistol, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Anish Bhanwala secured silver in their respective events. These results bring India’s medal count at the tournament to six, including two golds, three silvers, and one bronze, keeping the nation second on the medal table behind China.
Simranpreet, whose father left his government job to support her sporting career, fired a superb 41 in the final, equalling the World junior record, to claim her first major international gold. Despite a slow start—missing three targets in the opening series—she bounced back with consistent precision to outshine China’s reigning 10m air pistol champion Yao Qianxun and Germany’s former world champion Doreen Vennekamp. Fellow Indian Esha Singh finished seventh in the final, while Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker narrowly missed out after placing ninth in qualifications.
In the men’s 50m rifle 3-positions event, Aishwary Tomar narrowly missed gold, finishing 0.9 points behind Czech shooter Jiri Privratsky. Aishwary, a double Olympian and reigning Asian champion, started in fourth position but delivered strong series in the prone and standing positions to briefly take the lead before ultimately settling for silver. He had earlier qualified second behind China’s Tian Jiaming, who set a world record of 598 in qualification.
World Championships silver medallist Anish Bhanwala also showcased his tenacity in the 25m rapid-fire pistol, winning silver after a tense shoot-off against France’s Clement Bessaguet. Paris Olympic champion Li Yuehong of China took the gold with 33 points, while Bhanwala scored 31. Olympian Vijayveer Sidhu finished fourth.
With these performances, India reaffirmed its growing strength in shooting on the global stage, combining experience, resilience, and emerging talent to secure multiple podium finishes in Doha.
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