Cairo’s shooting ranges echoed with Indian cheers as Shiva Narwal struck gold in the 10m air pistol men’s junior final at the ISSF Junior World Cup. Overcoming a strong field, Narwal’s 241.8 score bested Abdullayev of Uzbekistan, who settled for silver. Chirag Sharma’s bronze (218.9) added to the joy, with Abhinav Deshwal placing seventh.
Building on his qualification lead of 576-19x, Narwal showcased unflinching consistency. The quals were fiercely contested, with Deshwal close behind at 576-16x and Sharma at 575-13x. Several other Indians narrowly missed finals.
Shifting to air rifle, Panah Bhugra delivered a silver-medal performance in the women’s junior 10m event, tallying 250.6 in the final. The French duo bookended her, with Bracquemont gold and Eckle bronze. Shambhavi’s fourth place was a near-miss, while Anvi Rathod held sixth.
The qualification drama unfolded with scores neck-and-neck. Anvi’s 628.6 earned her a finals spot, but Manyata Singh’s 628.3 fell just short due to quota limits, as did others like Anushka and Anisha.
Day one extended to 25m pistol precision stages and skeet openers. Standouts included Sejal Kamble leading women with 292-6x, Abhinav Deshwal topping men at 290-9x, Risham Kaur in women’s skeet (68), and Harviraj Singh in men’s (71).
With finals looming for multiple events, India’s young shooters are primed for a medal haul, signaling a bright future in international shooting.
