Niraj Kumar made history with a World Championship bronze to secure a quota for the 2028 LA Olympics

India’s shooting contingent received a major boost ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with Niraj Kumar securing an Olympic quota place after winning bronze in the men’s 50m 3-position event at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.The 26-year-old produced a consistent performance in Wednesday’s final to finish third with 346.5 points to claim his first individual medal at the World Championships. The achievement also earned India a quota place for the upcoming Summer Games, bringing the number of countries in the competition to two.The gold medal went to Dmitrii Pimenov, competing as an individual neutral athlete, while Slovak Patrik Jany settled for silver. Norway’s Jon-Hermann Hegg finished fourth to secure his third available Olympic quota as Jany has already won one for his country.

Niraj Kumar ended his wait for a first individual World Championship medal

The bronze medal marks a major breakthrough for Niraj, who has consistently ranked among India’s up-and-coming rifle shooters. Despite reaching the finals of major international competitions on previous occasions, an individual World Championship medal remained elusive. His performance in Doha finally brought the long-awaited success.Niraj also contributed to India’s bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle in the 3 position teams along with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran. The Indian trio finished with a total score of 1,751 points.The Czech Republic won the team gold, Norway secured the silver.

India secured second shooting quota for LA 2028 Olympics

Niraj’s performance added another Olympic quota to India’s shooting tally in the ongoing World Cup. Earlier, Jaypal Malviya secured the first quota place for India after winning silver in men’s 10m air pistol.The qualification puts India in a stronger position as the shooting contingent begins preparations for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. However, the quota place is allocated to India and does not guarantee Niraj automatic selection for the Games. The final decision on the participating shooter will be taken by Indian shooting authorities closer to the Olympics.