Mukesh Nelavalli, Divanshi Leads India’s Charge At The ISSF Junior World Championships 2024

India’s young shooting stars put up a commendable show to top the medals table at the recently concluded International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Championships in Lima, Peru. The event that wrapped up on Sunday, October 7, saw the Indians return home with 13 gold, three silver and eight bronze medals.

Mukesh Nelavalli was the pick of the shooters for India,ending the competition with six medals. The 19-year-old won his individual crown in the men’s 25m pistol event, winning the gold with a total score of 585. His compatriot Suraj Sharma came in second with a score of 583 while Vladyslav Medushevskyi took the bronze with a score of 580. Nelavalli, Sharma, and Pradhyumn Singh also won the men’s team gold.

Nelavalli also helped India clinch team titles in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol and the men’s 10m air pistol events. The 19-year-old also won bronze medals in the 25m standard pistol and the 50m pistol to cap off a fruitful outing in Peru.

In the rifle events, Parth Mane led the charge with a gold medal-winning performance in the men’s 10m air rifle event. He, along with Ajay Malik and Abhinav Shaw helped India to the men’s team title as well. Meanwhile, the trio of Shourya Saini, Vedant Waghmare and Parikshit Singh took the top honours in the men’s 50m rifle 3 position team.

Among women, pistol shooter Divanshi was the pick of the lot as she won three gold medals at the Junior World Championships. The Indian topped the charts in the women’s 25m pistol and the 25m standard pistol while leading the team to a gold medal win in the women’s 25m pistol team event as well. In the women’s 25m standard pistol, India swept the podium with Parisha Gupta winning silver while Manvi Jain took the bronze medal. Parisha won a silver medal in the women’s 50m pistol event as well.

India's other medals came in with Gautami Bhanot, Shambhavi Kshirsagar and Anushka Thokur winning the women's 10m air rifle team gold while Kanishka Dagar, Lakshita and Anjali Chaudhary took the top spot in the women's 10m air pistol team event.

In the mixed team events, India made it to the podium in three of the four events. Ajay Malik and Gautami Bhanot won a bronze medal in the mixed 10m air rifle while Parmod and Lakshita finished third in the mixed 10m air pistol. Shardul Vihan and Sabeera Haris were the only shotgun shooters to medal for India as they won the mixed trap bronze at the Junior Worlds.

The shooting season is set to culminate at the ISSF World Cup final in New Delhi, starting next week.