Cairo | India enjoyed a memorable day at the ISSF World Championships as two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan won bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle, and Ravinder Singh, a marksman from the Indian Army, captured gold in the men’s 50m free pistol event on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Elavenil delivered an impressive performance in the final, holding the lead at one stage. However, a score of 10.0 on her 19th shot caused her to slip to third place. Despite her determined effort, a 9.9 on the 22nd shot sealed her fate as she finished with a total of 232.0 points, securing the bronze medal.
South Korea’s Ban Hyojin claimed gold with 255.0 points, while China’s Wang Zifei, who was closely behind Elavenil until the 19th shot, took silver with 254.0 points in a thrilling finish.
In the team event, the Indian trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, and Shreya Agrawal won bronze with a combined total of 1893.3 points. China (1901.7) and South Korea (1899.9) earned gold and silver respectively.
During qualification, Elavenil shot 633.4, earning her a spot in the individual finals in fifth place. Meghana and Shreya scored 631.2 and 628.7, finishing 17th and 33rd, respectively.
Meanwhile, 29-year-old Ravinder Singh, serving as a Naik Subedar in the Indian Army, achieved a career-defining moment by clinching gold in the men’s 50m free pistol — a non-Olympic event.
Hailing from Bishnah town in Jammu and Kashmir, Ravinder had previously secured a bronze medal at the 2023 World Championships in Baku, but his golden triumph in Cairo marks the pinnacle of his shooting career so far.
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