New Delhi, 26 June (H.S.): The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has expressed delight over the outstanding performance of Indian shooters at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026. At the prestigious competition held in Suhl, Germany, India finished at the top of the medal standings with a total of 24 medals, including seven gold, eight silver and nine bronze. It is the second consecutive time that India has topped the medal table at the Junior World Championship.

India's campaign began with Sejal Kamble winning the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Junior Women's event. Himanshi added a bronze medal in the same event. Sejal Kamble, Vanshika Chaudhary and Navya Bishnoi then strengthened India's position by clinching the gold medal in the women's team event.

In the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior Men's event, Sameer won the gold medal, while Rohit Kanyan secured gold in the 50m Rifle Three Positions Junior Men's competition. Prachi Gaikwad claimed the silver medal in the 50m Rifle Three Positions Junior Women's event. India also won bronze medals in the 50m Rifle Three Positions Junior Men's Team and the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior Men's Team events.

Anvi Rathod won the bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle Junior Women's event, while Pritam Kendre secured gold in the Junior Men's category. India also claimed bronze medals in the 25m Pistol Junior Women's Team and Junior Men's Team events. In the 10m Air Pistol Junior Men's competition, Shiva Narwal won the silver medal, while Yug Pratap Singh Rathore secured bronze. Shiva Narwal, along with Sandeep Bishnoi and Chirag Sharma, also won the silver medal in the team event. Later, Shiva Narwal and Vanshika Chaudhary earned another silver medal in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event.

India continued its impressive performance in the final phase of the championship. Abhinav Deshwal won the gold medal in the 25m Standard Pistol Junior Men's event, while Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Abhinav Shaw clinched gold in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event. The Indian team also won the silver medal in the 25m Standard Pistol Junior Men's Team competition.

In the 25m Standard Pistol Junior Women's event, Shaurya Dileep Bharane secured the silver medal, while Riya Duggal claimed the bronze.

On the final day of the championship, Raj Chandra won the bronze medal in the 50m Pistol Junior Men's event, while the team of Yogesh Kumar, Prateek and Abhinav Chaudhary secured the silver medal. In the 50m Pistol Junior Women's event, Aishwarya Ravichandra Balehosur won the silver medal, taking India's overall medal tally to 24 and ensuring the country's top position in the medal standings.

NRAI President Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo described India's second consecutive top finish in the medal table as a historic achievement for Indian shooting. He said the success reflects not only the excellence of individual athletes but also the strength of the country's growing talent pool and the sustained efforts being made at the grassroots level.

NRAI Secretary General Pawan Kumar Singh said the exceptional performances by the young shooters in the challenging conditions at Suhl are a strong indication of the bright future of Indian shooting. He added that the next objective is to help these athletes achieve similar success at the senior international level.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar