New Delhi, Sep 30 (NationPress) India showcased remarkable prowess at the ISSF Junior World Cup shooting, clinching both gold and silver in the air rifle mixed team event. The dynamic duo of Isha Anil Taksale and Himanshu mounted an exhilarating comeback to secure the 10m air rifle mixed team gold against their fellow countrymen Shambhavi S. Kshirsagar and Naraen Pranav, at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range.

On the penultimate day of this prestigious event in New Delhi, while the Indian pair delivered a nail-biting performance, Croatia’s Toni Gudelj and Czechia’s Lea Kucerova celebrated their nations’ inaugural gold medals with stellar victories in the trap categories.

India also celebrated a bronze medal victory, thanks to Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat in the men’s trap final, ensuring the host nation maintained its lead in the medal standings with a total of 23 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, and 7 bronze).

In the thrilling all-Indian gold medal showdown in the 10m air rifle mixed team event, Isha and Himanshu made a spectacular comeback to conquer Shambhavi and Naraen 17–15. After trailing 15–9 at one point, they surged ahead, winning four consecutive series to clinch the gold.

Both teams demonstrated exceptional shooting skills, with Shambhavi achieving two perfect 10.9s and Isha contributing one, while only five out of the 64 shots in the match dipped below 10.

The bronze medal was secured by Individual Neutral Athletes' Varvara Kardakova and Kamil Nuriakhmetov, who triumphed over compatriots Mariia Kruglova and Timofei Aleinikov with a score of 17–9.

Czechia’s Lea Kucerova earned the women’s trap junior title, hitting 41 targets, marking her nation’s first medal of the competition. Italy’s Sofia Gori took silver with 37 hits, while AIN’s Kseniia Samofalova claimed bronze with 30.

Earlier, Kucerova and Lucy Myers from the USA excelled in a tense qualification shoot-off to secure final spots ahead of India’s Sabeera Haris, who finished seventh despite tying on 112 hits.

In the men’s trap junior final, Croatia’s Toni Gudelj delivered a stellar performance, hitting 44 targets to earn his country’s first gold medal of the event. Spain’s Isaac Hernandez, who excelled in qualification with 120+6, took home silver with 41.

India’s Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat secured bronze with 34 hits, while his teammate Arjun placed fourth with 29. The final line-up was completed by Daniel Fernandez de Vicente (Spain) and Tony Meola (USA) with scores of 24 and 18, respectively.

In the women’s 25m pistol precision stage, India’s Tejaswani led the scoreboard with a score of 288-9x, followed closely by Italy’s Alessandra Fait (287-8x) and AIN’s Viktoriia Kholodnaia (286-8x). India’s Naamya Kapoor (284-4x) secured fourth place, trailed by Aleksandra Tikhonova (283-9x) and Riya Shirish Thatte (281-6x). The rapid-fire stage will be conducted tomorrow, setting the stage for the final six.

In the men’s 25m pistol precision stage, a non-Olympic event, India’s Raghav Verma led with 290-4x, closely followed by teammate Mukesh Nelavalli (289-9x). AIN’s Georgii Tarasov was in third place with 285-5x. The rapid-fire stage will conclude tomorrow morning, with cumulative scores determining the medalists.

India remains at the forefront of the standings with 23 medals (7 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze). AIN follows with 9 medals (4 gold, 2 silver, 4 bronze), while Italy stands third with 2 gold and 2 silver medals. Croatia and Czechia have now entered the gold medal winners’ circle, bringing the total of nations with gold medals to five.

Day 7 Schedule

The final day of competition on Wednesday will feature two medal events. The women’s 25m pistol junior final is set for 11:15 AM IST, followed by the trap mixed team junior final at 2:30 PM IST.

The day will kick off with a trap mixed team qualification (75 targets) at 9:00 AM, while the rapid-fire stages for both the men’s and women’s 25m Pistol junior events will commence at 9:15 AM IST. The medals for the men’s 25m Pistol junior will be awarded based on combined precision and rapid-fire stage scores.

Other Indian competitors in action on Day 6:

Trap Women Qualification

Saeera Hairs - 112 [+1] (7th)

Tanisska Senthil Kumar - 111 (8th)

Addya Katyal - 111 (9th)

Shreshtha Sisodiya - 106 (15th)

Bhavya Tripathi - 104 (17th)

Trap Men Qualification

Arya Vansh Tyagi - 116 (13th)

Udhav Singh Rathore - 115 (17th)

Aman Chauhan - 109 (30th)

25m Pistol Women Junior Qualification - Precision

Divanshi - 281-5x (7th)

Payal Kuldeep Khatri - 275-7x (12th)

25m Pistol Men Junior Individual - Precision

Sameer - 284-7x (4th)

Sahil Choudhary - 282-7x (5th)

Somil Chaudhary - 281-5x (6th).