Niraj Kumar meets LA 2028 quota with bronze in 50m rifle at 3 positions

India’s Niraj Kumar secured a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after winning bronze in the men’s 50m 3-position rifle at the ISSF World Championships on Wednesday.

It was India’s second Olympic quota at the championships, after Jaypal Malviya’s silver in men’s 10m air pistol a few days ago.

Niraj shot 346.5 in the final and was in contention for silver before a costly 9.4 on his 34th shot moved him to third. Individual neutral athlete (AIN) Dmitrii Pimenov took gold with a world junior record of 362.8, while Slovakia’s Patrik Jany took silver. Both also secured participation in the Olympics.

The other Indian in the final, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, finished fifth with 323.7.

DOUBLE BRONZE OF INDIA

India also won bronze in the team event when Niraj, Aishwary and Akhil Sheoran combined for 1,751 in the elimination section. They missed out on silver by a single point as Norway finished second with 1,752 while the Czech Republic took gold with 1,754.

Niraj shot 582, Aishwary 587 and Akhil 582 to help India secure the team bronze. It was another podium finish for the Indian contingent to add to the country’s success in the individual competition.

NIRAJ TOP QUALIFICATIONS

In the subsequent qualifying round, Niraj produced an impressive 591 to top the order, while Aishwary scored 586 to finish fourth and secure a place in the final.

Both Indians entered the medal round with the possibility of fighting for the podium. However, their fortunes changed as the final progressed, with Niraj remaining in contention while Aishwary struggled to maintain her initial momentum.

AISHWARY’S STRUGGLES, NIRAJ’S CALM

The final proved to be a testing affair, especially for Aishwary, a two-time Olympian and former World Championship silver medallist. He made a strong start in the knee, shooting 102.9 over 10 shots and tied for the lead.

However, a string of scores in the 9s during the prone series saw him lose ground. His struggles continued standing before he was eliminated in the fifth.

Niraj, meanwhile, kept his cool and remained firmly in the hunt for a medal. The 26-year-old Navy marksman, who was recently part of India’s silver-winning team at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, looked next to his Olympic silver quota until that costly 9.4 changed the order.

Jany ran a 10.4, moving ahead of him to take second place.

Pimenov, meanwhile, was in a class of his own, finishing well outside the field to win gold with a world junior record.

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