Jaypal Malviya secured India’s first shooting quota for LA 2028 Olympics

Jaypal Malviya announced his arrival on the big stage in style, securing India’s first shooting quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics with a silver medal in the men’s 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Thursday.

The 23-year-old from Madhya Pradesh produced a breakout performance in the eight-man final to finish second with a score of 242.2. China’s Kai Hu won gold with 243.9 points, while Czech Jindřich Dubovy settled for bronze with 220.9.

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Malviya’s success gave a big boost to the Indian shooting contingent on a day when two of its biggest stars, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh, failed to convert their chances to place in the Olympic quota in the women’s 10m air pistol event.

Manu, a two-time Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, finished fifth with 179.9 points while Suruchi was eliminated in sixth place with 158.3. Both qualified for the eight-shooter final, but missed out on the three available quota places.

However, India won the women’s team silver through Manu, Suruchi and Sainyam who combined to score 1,738 points, behind China’s 1,745.

Malvija’s silver ensured that India did not return empty-handed from the individual Olympic quota event on Thursday. His performance also underlined the emergence of another promising name in Indian shooting. Courtesy: ISSF World Championships

MALVIYA HOLDS NERVES TO CLAIM HISTORIC SILVER

Malviya entered the final after finishing third in the qualifiers with a score of 585 in six runs. He carried that over to the medal round, even though his start was far from perfect.

He shot a 9.2 on his second attempt in the opening five shots, but recovered with a 10.6 on the final shot to finish with 50.5 points to finish third behind Hue.

The Indian slipped to fourth place after completing his next run of 100 points, but refused to let the challenge slip away. A key 10.7 helped him regain his footing as the competition intensified.

Malviya subsequently moved into second place, reducing Hu’s lead to just 0.5 points. Even after a 9.7 threatened to derail his challenge, he responded with a vital 10.7 to stay firmly in contention.

The Indian eventually finished silver, securing both a historic World Cup medal and India’s first shooting quota for LA 2028.

“The environment is great. The crowd was very loud and motivated me. I would like to thank the federation, SAI, OGQ and MP and the Indian government. I am grateful Mr. Samaresh Jung. I feel great that I could bring a quota and a medal to the country,” Malviya said after his success.

The rise of the youngster was particularly encouraging. At the New Delhi 2026 National Selection Trials, he won gold in the men’s 10m air pistol Trial 1, qualifying seventh, producing 245.6 in the final.

He also finished ninth at the 2026 ISSF World Championships in Hangzhou, narrowly missing out on the final despite shooting 585 points in qualifying.

His breakthrough in Doha now gives Indian shooting an early position in the qualifying race for the Los Angeles Olympics.

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