India reign supreme! Shooters top ISSF Jr World C'ship medal tally in Germany

NEW DELHI: India underlined their growing dominance in world shooting by finishing on top of the medal standings at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026 in Suhl, Germany, ending a sensational campaign with 24 medals, including seven gold, eight silver and nine bronze.The Indian contingent comfortably finished ahead of the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), who secured 14 medals with six gold, while traditional powerhouse Italy placed third with 10 medals, also featuring six gold.The remarkable performance marked another milestone for Indian shooting, with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) celebrating the country's success across rifle and pistol disciplines, individual, mixed and team events.Young stars deliver across rifle and pistolIndia's campaign began in style as Sejal Kamble clinched gold in the women's 10m air pistol, while Himanshi added a bronze. Sejal then joined Vanshika Choudhary and Navya Bishnoi to win the team gold, giving India an early lead in the championship.The medals continued to flow as Sameer struck gold in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol, Rohit Kanyan topped the podium in the men's 50m rifle three positions, and Pritam Kendre emerged champion in the men's 10m air rifle. Abhinav Deshwal later added another gold in the men's 25m standard pistol, while Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Abhinav Shaw sealed gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team event.India also collected multiple silver medals through Prachi Gaikwad, Shiva Narwal, Shaurya Dilip Bharne, Aishwarya Ravichandra Balehosur and several team events, highlighting the impressive depth of the junior squad."Topping the medal tally at a World Championship for two successive editions is a phenomenal achievement," NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said."What makes me happiest is that these 24 medals didn't just come from one or two individual stars. They were spread across rifle and pistol, individual, mixed and team events. It proves that our structural grassroots programmes are working effectively," he added.Near-perfect campaign despite missed opportunitiesIndia's final tally could have been even richer.Vanshika Choudhary suffered heartbreak in the women's 10m air pistol final after failing to fire her last shot while challenging for gold and a possible junior world record because of apparent confusion during the closing moments. The missed attempt denied India a rare clean sweep of the podium.The team also lost another medal opportunity when Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar was disqualified in the women's 10m air rifle team event for failing the ISSF apparel stiffness test.While India dominated rifle and pistol competitions, the shotgun remained a concern. The contingent failed to win a medal in trap or skeet events, with no men's shooter reaching the finals. Bhavya Tripathi and Rishan Guron qualified for the women's finals but finished eighth and seventh respectively.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.