Parth Rakesh Mane, a teenage shooter from Maharashtra, finished seventh in the 10m air rifle men's final at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Munich on 26 May 2026, marking a promising debut on the senior international stage. India drew several positives from the opening day of the year's second International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup leg, held at the iconic Olympic Shooting range in Munich.

Parth Mane's Qualification Breakthrough

Before the final, Mane had already announced himself by shattering the junior national record with a qualification score of 633.6, earning him third place in a competitive 149-strong field. Only two shooters surpassed his tally — eventual gold medallist and former 50m rifle three positions (3P) Olympic champion Zhang Changhong of China, who topped with 636.3, and Paris Olympics silver medallist Victor Lindgren of Sweden, who scored 633.9.

How the Final Unfolded

Mane opened the 24-shot final with a solid 10.8 and held fourth place after the first five-shot series, with just 0.7 separating leader Zhang from fifth-placed Croatian veteran Peter Gorsa. A high-scoring second series from Korean Shin Minki, who fired a perfect 10.9, pushed Mane down to eighth.

Heading into his 12th shot — the first elimination stage — Mane trailed Lucas Kryzs of France by just 0.2. A 9.9 from Norwegian Hegg spared Mane two additional shots, but he was eventually eliminated after the 14th shot with a score of 145.8. Zhang closed out the gold with a perfect final shot of 10.9 and a total of 242.8. Shin won silver and Lindgren claimed bronze.

Other Indian Performances in Air Rifle

Two other Indians competed in the men's 10m air rifle qualification. Shahu Tushar Mane scored 630.5 to finish 25th, while Arjun Babuta scored 627.5 for 63rd place — neither advancing to the final.

Air Pistol and Women's Events

Korea's Hong Suhyeon claimed the day's first gold in the men's 10m air pistol with a final score of 241.4. Jason Solari of Switzerland took silver and Hsieh Hsiang-Chen of Chinese Taipei won bronze. India's reigning world champion Samrat Rana narrowly missed the final, finishing just outside the top eight with 582. Debutant Ajendra Singh Chauhan shot 578 for 28th, and Shravan Kumar scored 575 for 46th in the 142-strong field.

In the women's 25m pistol precision stage, Esha Singh impressed with a 293 to sit sixth heading into Wednesday's rapid-fire round. Manu Bhaker (288) and Rahi Sarnobat (287) will need strong rapid-fire performances on 27 May to break into the top eight. All three Indians in the women's 3P event — Vidarsa Vinod (588), Ashi Choksey (587), and Tilottama Sen (582) — navigated their elimination relays without issue and are in contention ahead of Wednesday's final.

RPO Shooters Set Impressive Benchmarks

Several Indians competing as Ranking Points Only (RPO) shooters — ineligible for medals but recording official scores — also turned heads. Himanshu Dhillon posted a remarkable 635.7 in the men's 10m air rifle qualifications, surpassing the existing national record of 635.1 held by Arjun Babuta. Young pistol talent Gavin Antony shot 585 in the men's 10m air pistol and, had he been in medal contention, would have been the only Indian to make the cut. Nupur Kumrawat topped the Indian scorers in the women's 3P with a 589.

With finals in the women's 3P and women's sport pistol scheduled for 27 May, India's Munich campaign is far from over.