New Delhi, Oct 2: Indian shooters continued their outstanding performance at the ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru, adding five gold medals to their tally on day four of the competition. Divanshi and Mukesh Nelavalli led the charge, clinching individual golds in the women’s and men’s 25m pistol events, respectively. With these wins, India’s medal haul reached an impressive 14 medals, comprising 10 gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.
The Indian team’s achievements solidified their top spot on the leaderboard, ahead of USA with 10 medals and Italy with eight.
In a thrilling final, Divanshi shot a score of 35 to outshine Italy’s Cristina Magnani by two points in the women’s 25m pistol event, while France’s Heloise Fourre secured the bronze medal. Divanshi’s gold wasn’t her only achievement of the day, as she also led the Indian team to victory in the women’s 25m pistol team event, alongside Tejaswini and Vibhuti Bhatia. The trio secured the team gold with a combined score of 1711, surpassing Czechia and Germany.
Divanshi’s journey to victory wasn’t easy. She faced a tough start in the final, missing seven of her first 15 targets, which placed her in sixth position. However, she demonstrated exceptional composure, hitting 16 of her next 20 shots to move into second place. In the final rounds, Divanshi capitalized on her momentum and tied with Magnani at 31 hits after the ninth series. When it mattered most, Divanshi delivered, hitting four targets, while Magnani missed three, securing Divanshi’s gold medal.
Earlier in the day, Divanshi qualified for the final by finishing fifth in qualification with a score of 577 across precision and rapid-fire rounds. Her teammates, Tejaswini and Vibhuti, finished 13th and 22nd, respectively.
On the men’s side, Mukesh Nelavalli also stood out, adding two more golds to his tally, bringing his total to three for the championship. He claimed the junior men’s 25m pistol gold with a score of 585, two points ahead of compatriot Suraj Sharma, who earned India’s first silver medal of the event. Nelavalli, Sharma, and Pradhyumn Singh combined to win the team gold with a total score of 1729, edging out Poland by three points. Italy claimed the bronze in the event.
India’s dominance continued with a fifth gold medal in the junior men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) team competition. The team of Shourya Saini, Vedant Nitin Waghmare, and Parikshit Singh Brar equaled the junior world record with a combined score of 1753, securing the top spot. Norway finished second, five points behind, while Sweden took third place.
Shourya also qualified for the individual final in the 50m rifle 3P, finishing seventh with a score of 583 in qualification. However, he concluded the final in seventh place.
India’s impressive showing at the ISSF Junior World Championship further cements their standing as a shooting powerhouse on the international stage.
