ISSF World Championships: Samrat Rana Makes History with Gold in Men’s 10m Air Pistol in Cairo

Cairo — Samrat Rana carved his name into Indian shooting history by clinching the gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol in Cairo on Monday. With this remarkable victory, he became the first-ever Indian to win an individual air pistol world title.

Competing in his maiden senior World Championships, the 22-year-old displayed nerves of steel in a gripping final, finishing with a score of 243.7, just 0.4 points ahead of China’s Hu Kai. Fellow Indian shooter Varun Tomar added to the nation’s glory, securing the bronze medal with a score of 221.7, ensuring a double podium finish for India.

“I still can’t believe it. It was my first senior World Championships and winning gold is beyond words,” Rana told the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI). “I focused only on my technique — not the scoreboard — and kept repeating my process.”

Rana joined an elite group of Indian shooters who have claimed world titles in Olympic events, including Abhinav Bindra, Rudrankksh Patil, Tejaswini Sawant, and the mixed team duo of Shiva Narwal and Esha Singh.

Rana began the final with a strong lead, 0.3 points ahead after the opening elimination round. Midway through, he briefly slipped to third with a score of 181.2, trailing Tomar by a mere 0.2 points. Demonstrating remarkable poise, Rana roared back with a flawless string of shots — including two perfect 10.9s — to reclaim control of the match.

With gold on the line, he required at least a 10.3 on his final shot to surpass Hu Kai — and he delivered a 10.6, sealing his historic triumph.

Earlier, both Rana and Tomar excelled in qualification, each scoring 586, with Rana topping the table. Together with Shravan Kumar (582), who narrowly missed out on the final, the trio also captured team gold for India in the men’s 10m air pistol category.

However, the day brought mixed results elsewhere. Paris 2024 Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh faced heartbreak in the women’s 10m air pistol final. Bhaker, who was leading at one stage, dropped to seventh after an 8.8 on her 14th shot, while Esha finished sixth after an 8.4 on her 16th attempt.

In the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Swapnil Kusale exited early after shooting 575 in eliminations. Meanwhile, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Niraj Kumar, both scoring 592, advanced to the qualification round.

With inputs from IANS