New Delhi: India finished atop the medal standings at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026 in Suhl, Germany, with 24 medals: 7 gold, 8 silver and 9 bronze.
The campaign began strongly as Sejal Kamble won individual gold in the 10m Air Pistol Women Junior, with Himanshi taking bronze, and the trio of Kamble, Vanshika Choudhary and Navya Bishnoi adding team gold in the same event. India’s shooting strength continued across disciplines: Sameer claimed gold in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Junior, Rohit Kanyan won the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Junior title, and Pritam Kendre took gold in the 10m Air Rifle Men Junior.
Team performances and mixed events contributed heavily to the haul. Prachi Gaikwad earned silver in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women Junior while India collected bronzes in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Junior Team and 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Junior Team events. In the 10m Air Pistol Men Junior, Shiva Narwal won silver and Yug Pratap Singh Rathore bronze; Narwal later partnered with Sandeep Bishnoi and Chirag Sharma for team silver and with Vanshika Chaudhary for mixed-team silver.
Closing-day success included Abhinav Deshwal’s gold in the 25m Standard Pistol Men Junior and the mixed-team gold by Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Abhinav Shaw in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Junior. Raj Chandra and Aishwarya Ravichandra Balehosur added late podium finishes, ensuring India’s top spot.
NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo hailed the result as proof of India’s depth across rifle and pistol events and credited grassroots programmes, while secretary-general Pawankumar Singh praised the athletes, coaches and support staff for sustaining performance under tough conditions in Suhl.
(Inputs from IANS)