Indian Pistol Shooters Dominate ISSF Junior World Championship with Clean Sweep
Indian pistol shooter Divanshi has once again proven her dominance in the women’s 25m standard pistol event, securing her second individual gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru. This remarkable achievement was accompanied by a clean sweep of the event, with teammates Parisha Gupta and Manvi Jain claiming silver and bronze, respectively.
Divanshi’s victory was a testament to her exceptional precision and focus, as she outshot her rivals with a score of 564 out of 600. Gupta, with a score of 559, and Jain, with 557, also showcased their impressive skills, marking India’s first-ever clean sweep in this competition.
In the corresponding junior men’s event, Suraj Sharma emerged victorious with a score of 571, narrowly defeating Poland’s Ivan Rakistski, who shot 568 for silver. Mukesh Nelavalli, who has already accumulated four gold medals in the championship, settled for bronze after a countback, despite shooting the same score as Rakistski.
Other notable performances from the Indian contingent included Harsimar Singh Rattha, Raajwardan Singh Patil, and Pradhyumn Singh, who finished seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively, in the junior men’s event.
In the junior women’s 50m rifle prone event, Melvina Joel Gladson was the highest-ranked Indian finisher, placing 14th with a score of 617.5. Prachi Gaikwad, Khushi, Aadhya Agrawal, and Anoushka Thokur also competed, finishing in the top 35.
In the team competition, Melvina, Prachi, and Anoushka’s combined score of 1846.1 secured a sixth-place finish for India in the prone event.
India’s young shooters have been in impressive form throughout the championship, amassing a total of 21 medals, including 13 gold, two silver, and six bronze. This tally places India firmly at the top of the standings, with Norway and China trailing behind.