Cairo erupted in cheers as Indian juniors scripted history at the ISSF Junior World Cup, amassing 16 medals to top the standings: five golds, six silvers, and five bronzes. This triumph in rifle, pistol, and shotgun events underscores India’s growing dominance in international shooting.
Hemant Burman, the 18-year-old prodigy, dazzled in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions, clinching silver with 351.7 in the finals. He had qualified seventh via 578-24x, joined by Vedant Nitin Vaghmare (581) and Rohit Kanyaan (580) in qualification. Rohit ended sixth (311.9), Vedant seventh (300.5).
Gold went to Kazakhstan’s Oleg Noskov, who shattered the junior world record at 355.6, with Uzbekistan’s Nikita Solokov bronze at 341.2. India’s Manvendra Singh Shekhawat (578-23x), Kushagr Singh Rajawat (576-24x), and Hitesh Srinivasan (574-26x) narrowly missed finals.
In the finale trap mixed team, Zuhaire Khan and Aadya Katyal seized bronze (19 finals score) after a 137 qualification. Strong through two series, they missed four of Aadya’s and one of Zuhaire’s shots in the third, dropping to bronze. Hungary’s duo set a 32-point junior world record for gold; neutral athletes scored 25 for silver.
The women’s 50m rifle prone saw no Indian medals, with Tejal Nathawat, Yogeshwari Bais, Anushka Thakur, and Khwahish Sharma exiting early. This victory fuels anticipation for the June ISSF Junior World Championship in Germany’s Suhl, promising more glory.
