India count positives after rich haul at World C’ships

India’s tally of 34 medals is their best ever showing at the prestigious event

NEW DELHI: India’s rifle and pistol teams returned from the World Championships in Cairo on Wednesday with 34 medals (12 gold, 9 silver, 13 bronze), enough to earn them the second spot in the tally behind powerhouses China (58 medals). 29 of the 34 medals were won by juniors across individual and team events, but more importantly, senior rifle shooters won two quota places for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

The country also found a new world champion in Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil who became only the second Indian (seniors) after Beijing Olympics gold medallist Abhinav Bindra to win the 10m air rifle gold. The other quota was won by the experienced Swapnil Kusale by virtue of his fourth-place finish in the 50m 3 Positions event.

At the previous World Championships in 2018, Indian shooters had won a total of 27 medals (11 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze). Back then, Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil had shot two quotas in the 10m air rifle, with the latter winning a silver. In Cairo, India matched their quota count from 2018 besides striking a rare gold.

“I am very happy with the performance. It’s probably our most successful World Championships in terms of medals, and getting two quotas is the icing on the cake,” chief rifle coach (50m) Joydeep Karmakar said.

Coming off the heels of a disastrous Olympics that saw the shooters return empty-handed for the second Games running, the World Championships results offer optimism. The per

The experienced rifle shooter secured an Olympic berth with a fourth-place finish in the 50m 3 Positions event. The 27-year-old was in sublime form for most parts of the final and looked set to qualify for the gold medal match but an inexplicable 8.2 in the final shot ended his hopes. formance of seniors, chief rifle coach (10m) Suma Shirur believes, is among the biggest positives from the event.

“I am very happy that the seniors have performed well because that’s what we need at the end of the day. Our seniors should be able to do well at the big stage, and this World Championships have been a big plus in that sense,” Shirur, who had groomed Patil until recently as a junior, said. The 18-year-old transitioned into the senior side with ease, securing gold in a high-quality field.

“He (Patil) is now a very strong part of the senior team in the 10m event. The one thing that stands out is his growth mindset. He is very open to learning and his preparation both inside and outside the range is exemplary,” Shirur said.

Anjum Moudgil, one of the few surviving members from the Tokyo team, finished a creditable sixth in the 50m 3P event. The 28-year-old missed the quota place by one position — a fifth place would have earned India a Paris berth because of

RHYTHM SANGWAN In 25m Pistol

ANJUM MOUDGIL In50m3P

SHIVA NARWAL In 10m Air Pistol the presence of two Norwegians in the top four. ISSF rules state only one quota can be given to a country in a particular event.

Talented rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh was another one to endure heartache, missing the final by 0.30 points. Ghosh finished tenth in the ranking round, missing the cut by two places.

“It was unfortunate, but I feel so many near-misses show that our young shooters are getting there. Even Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar was shooting very well but a bad series of 9s ended his hopes for the final. Overall, it was a very good tournament,” added Karmakar.

The 42-year-old was particularly impressed with Kusale who was in medal contention for the better part of his match before an inexplicable 8.2 on his 40th shot pushed him to fourth place.

“Not many gave him a chance before the event, but he had worked really hard. We did all sorts of weather simulations to prepare for windy conditions, and in Cairo, when the conditions turned windy, he used all his training beautifully. We must not judge him on one bad shot,” Karmakar said.

No medals, no worries The senior pistol team returned without a medal but there were performances of note. Young Rhythm Sangwan, on her seniors debut, finished fifth in the 25m pistol event. Junior pistol shooter Sagar Dangi was another bright spot, bagging gold and silver in the 10m air pistol team and individual competitions.

“We had a very young team, perhaps the youngest pistol squad at the Worlds. In that context, I’d say it was a reasonably good performance. It would have been better had we got some medals or quota, but these shooters were relatively raw compared to the field. They’ll certainly get better,” chief pistol coach Samresh Jung said.

Sangwan’s compatriot Manu Bhaker missed the final in the 25m event after being tied with the eighth finalist on points (583), but lost out on the 10s countback. Jung believes Bhaker is still a work in progress but is gradually peaking.

“She (Bhaker) has been shooting well. There is always room for improvement, even if you are shooting 600/600. She is surely getting back to her best,” Jung added.