ISSF World C'ship 2026: India win women's 25m pistol team gold, men's rifle bronze
Synopsis
India doubled their gold tally at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha as Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju swept the women's 25m pistol team event — with Manu going on to finish agonisingly fourth in the individual final. Add a men's rifle team bronze and Jaypal Malviya's earlier air pistol silver, and India's shooting conveyor belt looks in excellent health heading into the next Olympic cycle.
Key Takeaways
Esha Singh , Manu Bhaker , and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju won the women's 25m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha on 10 November .
India's winning combined score was 1761-68x , ahead of Republic of Korea ( 1748-66x ) in silver and Vietnam ( 1745-54x ) in bronze.
The men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar , Akhil Sheoran , and Niraj Kumar claimed bronze with 1751-91x ; Czechia won gold.
Jaypal Malviya won silver in the men's 10m air pistol individual final; the Indian women's 10m air pistol team also took silver .
Manu Bhaker finished fourth in the women's 25m pistol individual final with 27 hits , just off the podium.
India return to the range on 11 November for the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions individual final .
India claimed their second gold medal of the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha on 10 November, as the women's 25m pistol trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju topped the podium with a combined score of 1761-68x. The result adds to India's growing medal haul at the premier shooting competition, reinforcing the country's rising stature in international pistol and rifle events.
Women's 25m Pistol: India Top the Podium
The Indian trio edged out a strong field, finishing well clear of silver medallists the Republic of Korea (1748-66x) and bronze medallists Vietnam (1745-54x). Esha Singh was the standout performer, top-scoring for the team with 590-25x, while Manu Bhaker contributed 587-24x and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju added 584-19x.
Both Esha and Manu advanced to the individual final. Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker finished fourth with 27 hits, narrowly missing the podium, while Esha ended eighth with 11 hits. Notably, Manu's consistent output — in both the team and individual formats — underscores her status as one of India's most reliable shooting assets on the world stage.
Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions: Team Bronze for India
Earlier in the day, the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran, and Niraj Kumar secured bronze with a combined score of 1751-91x. Czechia claimed gold with 1754-92x, while Norway took silver with 1752-81x. Aishwary led India's charge with 587-33x, followed by Niraj (582-31x) and Akhil (582-27x).
India will return to the range for the individual final of the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event on 11 November, with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar among the leading contenders to build on the team's podium performance.
Earlier Results: Pistol Medals and Jaypal's Silver
Jaypal Malviya had earlier delivered a composed performance to claim silver in the men's 10m air pistol individual final. In the team event, India finished seventh overall with a combined aggregate of 1730-58x. Jaypal led the squad with his qualification score of 585-23x — across series of 97, 99, 97, 99, 97, 96 — which had placed him third heading into the final.
The Indian women's 10m air pistol team also claimed silver, with Manu Bhaker, Suruchi Inder Singh, and Sainyam combining for an aggregate of 1738 with 61 inner 10s. Manu topped India's scorecard with 583-21x, including a perfect 100 in her fourth series. Suruchi contributed 580-24x, while junior world champion Sainyam added 575-16x. China won the team gold with 1745-65x and the Republic of Korea took bronze with 1729-49x.
India's Championship Momentum
This comes amid a productive run for Indian shooting at the global level, following a stellar Paris Olympics 2024 campaign where Manu Bhaker became the first Indian to win two medals at a single Olympics. The ISSF World Championship, which serves as a key qualification pathway for future Games, is proving to be another fertile ground for India's growing shooting depth across both pistol and rifle disciplines.
With the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions individual final still to come on 11 November, India's medal count at the Doha championship could yet climb further.
Point of View
The kind of team depth that separates champion nations from one-shooter squads. Manu Bhaker's fourth-place individual finish, frustrating as it is, actually signals that competition for Olympic quota spots is tightening globally, not that India's programme is faltering. The more significant structural story is the men's rifle bench: Aishwary, Niraj, and Akhil combining within three points of a gold-winning Czechia team suggests India's rifle pipeline — long an afterthought behind pistol — is finally delivering at the elite tier.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the women's 25m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championship 2026?
India's trio of Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju won the women's 25m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha on 10 November, with a combined score of 1761-68x. They finished ahead of the Republic of Korea (silver) and Vietnam (bronze).
How did India perform in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions at ISSF 2026?
India's men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran, and Niraj Kumar claimed the bronze medal with a combined score of 1751-91x. Czechia won gold with 1754-92x and Norway took silver with 1752-81x.
What was Manu Bhaker's result at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha?
Manu Bhaker contributed 587-24x to India's gold-winning women's 25m pistol team score and also qualified for the individual final, where she finished fourth with 27 hits — just short of a podium place. She had earlier helped India win silver in the women's 10m air pistol team event.
What medals has Jaypal Malviya won at the ISSF World Championship 2026?
Jaypal Malviya won a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol individual final at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha. He had finished third in qualification with a score of 585-23x before delivering a composed performance in the final.
What events does India have remaining at the ISSF World Championship 2026?
India are set to compete in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions individual final on 11 November in Doha, with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar positioned as a key medal contender following his team bronze performance.
