ISSF World Cup: Jaypal Malviya makes history with silver, secures India’s first shooting quota for LA 2028

Jaypal Malviya (Video grab) NEW DELHI: Jaypal Malviya announced his arrival on the big stage with a breakthrough silver medal in men’s 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Thursday, securing India’s first shooting quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.The Madhya Pradesh marksman produced a consistent performance in the eight-man final to score 242.2 points to finish second behind China’s Kai Hu, who claimed the gold with 243.9. Czech Jindřich Dubový took the bronze for 220.9.The silver was doubly significant for India as it earned the country its first Olympic shooting quota for the Los Angeles Games. Malviya’s success also marked a major breakthrough in his young career as he only recently made it to the national circuit.“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 the final.

Malviya holds her nerve in a tense finale

Malviya qualified for the finals in third place with a score of 585 in six runs, setting himself up for a shot at the podium.The Indian endured a mixed start in the final, shooting a 9.2 on the second attempt in the opening five-shot before recovering with a 10.6 on the final shoot. He finished the series with 50.5 points to finish third behind leader Hue.After his 10-shot streak, he briefly dropped to fourth with a 100.0 total, while Dubovy moved up to third with a 100.5. China Hu and Yu Xie continued to set the pace.However, Malviya replied with 10.7 to stay in contention and drew loud cheers from the crowd. He followed that up with another 10.7 as Hu shot 10.9, leaving the Indian just 0.5 points behind the Chinese scorer.The result also assured India of its first shooting quota for the 2028 Olympics. Malviya remained in medal contention as the final entered its decisive stages, with a narrow gap separating him from Hu.A 9.7 threatened to derail his challenge, leaving him 0.9 points behind the leader. But the Indian bounced back with a decisive 10.7 to keep the pressure on. In the end, Hu retained the gold, while Dubovy secured the bronze.

Jaypal Malviya

From national trials to the podium of the world championships

Malviya has emerged as one of the promising names in Indian shooting. He first made a strong impression at the 2026 National Selection Trials by winning Trial 1 gold in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi.After qualifying seventh, he scored an impressive 245.6 in the final to claim the title. He also finished ninth at the 2026 ISSF World Championships in Hangzhou, narrowly missing out on the final despite shooting 585 points in qualifying.Silver and an Olympic quota from the World Championships now represent the biggest milestones of his career and set him firmly on the road to Los Angeles 2028.