Indian shooter Niraj Kumar won bronze in the men’s 50m rifle three positions event at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on November 11, securing a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The 26-year-old scored 346.5 in the final to finish third. Individual Neutral Athlete Dmitrii Pimenov won gold with 362.8, setting a world junior record, while Slovakia’s Patrik Jany claimed silver. Both also secured Olympic quota places.
Niraj was in contention for silver during the final but dropped to third after recording a 9.4 on his 34th shot. His bronze earned India its second Olympic quota place at the championship, following Jaypal Malviya’s silver in the men’s 10m air pistol event.
Niraj had topped the qualification round with a score of 591. Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar also reached the final after scoring 586, finishing fourth in qualification. Aishwary placed fifth in the final with 323.7.
India also won bronze in the men’s 50m rifle three positions team event. Niraj, Aishwary and Akhil Sheoran combined for 1,751 points in the elimination round.
The Czech Republic won team gold with 1,754 points, while Norway secured silver with 1,752. India finished one point behind Norway.
The result added another medal to India’s campaign at the Doha championship, which features rifle, pistol and shotgun events.
The Olympic quota is awarded to the National Olympic Committee rather than automatically to the individual shooter. India’s shooting federation will determine the eventual selection of athletes for the Los Angeles Games through its selection process.
