Aishwary, Esha-Samrat win silver as India rises in ISSF world championship

Two silver medals were added to India’s tally at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol, held at the Olympic Shooting Range in Cairo, with outstanding performances by Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Esha Singh, and Samrat Rana.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar’s performance in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) final was widely praised as he equalled the world record in qualification and secured India’s first-ever individual medal at the event. In the 45-shot final, Aishwary scored 466.9, narrowly missing gold as China’s reigning Olympic champion Liu Yukun finished with 467.1.

During qualification, Aishwary achieved a remarkable 597/600, scoring perfect 200/200 in both the Kneeling and Prone positions, and losing only three points in the Standing position. This matched the men’s 3P qualification world record previously held by Liu Yukun and Linshu Du. Teammate Niraj Kumar also qualified, finishing fifth with a score of 592.

In the eight-man final, Aishwary initially struggled with an 8.6 on his sixth Kneeling shot but recovered in the Prone position with strong series of 53.3, 52.7, and 52.7, climbing to second place, just 0.2 behind Liu. Niraj Kumar, despite being fourth at the end of Kneeling, slipped to sixth in the final Standing position and ultimately finished fifth, marking a credible debut in a Worlds final.

The lead exchanged hands between Aishwary and Liu through the final shots. In a dramatic conclusion, Aishwary needed 10.2 or higher on the last shot to win gold but scored 9.8, confirming Liu Yukun as World Champion. France’s Romain Aufrere claimed bronze.

In the 10m air pistol mixed team event, Esha Singh and Samrat Rana earned silver after a closely contested gold medal match against China’s Kai Hu and Qianxun Yao. India had topped qualification with a combined score of 586, with both shooters contributing 293 each. The second Indian pair, Suruchi and Shravan Kumar, ended eighth with 579 points.

The gold medal match was tightly fought over 13 rounds. The teams were tied at 9-9 after nine rounds, but China pulled ahead in the next three rounds. Although India tied the final round, the match ended 10-16 in favor of China. Esha Singh, who had previously won the event with Shiva Narwal, had to forfeit her crown this year. Samrat Rana concluded his first Worlds with two golds and one silver, marking a historic debut.

With these results, India now stands second in the medal tally, with 3 Gold, 5 Silver, and 3 Bronze medals, while China leads with 8 Golds and 14 total medals.