ISSF World Championships: India add another team silver but wait for Olympic quota continues as Manu Bhaker, Suruchi Singh falter in final

Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh (PTI Photos) NEW DELHI: India claimed another team silver at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Thursday, but the wait for an individual medal and a coveted quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics continued after Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh faltered in the women’s 10m air pistol final.The two Indian shooters who qualified for the last eight finished outside the medal positions. Two-time Olympic bronze medalist Manu placed fifth with 179.9 points, while Asian Games mixed team gold medalist Suruchi was sixth with 158.3.China’s Jiang Ranxin won the gold medal with 242.4 points, just ahead of compatriot Yao Qianxun who won silver with 242.1. Hungarian Veronika Major took the podium with 222.1. All three medalists also secured quotas for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, leaving the Indian duo without a ticket to the Games.

Manu, Suruchi failed to capitalize on the final places

Manu struggled to find consistency in the final, her scores fluctuating between 8.8 and 10.7. The 24-year-old was eliminated after shooting 18, ending her hopes of adding an individual World Championship medal to her impressive collection.Suruchi also endured a tough final, with a run of shots on 8s and 9s proving costly. She bowed out after the 16th shot, ending India’s challenge in the individual competition.Both showed enough in qualifying to raise hopes of a good finish. Manu recovered from a modest start, shooting 95 in each of her first two series, before posting scores of 98, 100, 96 and 99 to finish third with 583 points.Suruchi secured the eighth and final spot with a 580. She shot 97, 95, 96, 97, 97 and 98 in her six streaks to reach the final. China’s Jiang finished qualifying with 585, while India’s third entrant, Sainyam, finished with 575 in 22nd place.

Team silver offers consolation but no Olympic quota

There was some consolation for India when Manu, Suruchi and Sainyam combined to secure the silver medal in the team event with a total of 1738 points. China won gold with 1,745.Team rankings were determined by the sum of the qualifying scores of the three shooters from each country. Sainyam’s contribution proved to be important in India’s podium finish despite missing out on the singles final.However, team silver does not carry an Olympic quota. The Doha World Cup is the first major shooting competition to offer individual quotas for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, so the missed opportunity is particularly significant for India.Despite adding another team medal to their campaign, Indian shooters are yet to win an individual medal or secure a quota place in an Olympic event at the championships. Disappointing finishes by Manu and Suruchi therefore extended India’s wait for a breakthrough in individual events.