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Indian shooter Niraj Kumar clinched the bronze medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Championship in Doha on Wednesday, securing India's first rifle quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Niraj scored 346.5 points in the final to finish third on the podium. Dmitrii Pimenov of Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) won the gold medal with 362.8 points, setting a junior world record, while Slovakia's Patrik Jany claimed silver with 357.2 points. The medal marked India's third consecutive podium finish in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the World Championships. Akhil Sheoran had won bronze in 2023, while Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar secured silver in 2025. Tomar also competed in Wednesday's final but finished fifth with a score of 323.7. Niraj's quota place takes India's tally to two, following Jaypal Malviya's silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Championships on Thursday, where his composed performance under pressure earned the country its first quota place for the LA 2028 Olympics. Jaypal shot a score of 242.2 in the 24-shot final to finish second on the podium. China's Hu Kai took the gold medal and the first Olympic quota with 243.9. Czechia's Jindrich Dubovy won the bronze medal and the third available quota place with 220.9. Jaypal remained in medal contention right from the opening stage. He registered 50.5 in the first series and moved to 100.0 at the end of the second series. During the elimination stages, the Indian shooter fired consistent high-10s, including hits of 10.8 and 10.7, to separate himself from the chasing pack. He held his composure during the final shots to keep Dubovy at bay and seal the silver medal behind Hu. (ANI)
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