India finished at the top of the medal standings at the 5th ISSF Junior World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun 2026 in Suhl, Germany, with an impressive haul of 25 medals including 7 gold, 8 silver, and 10 bronze. The 84-member Indian contingent comfortably outperformed Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN), who finished second with 14 medals, and traditional shooting powerhouse Italy, which placed third with 10 medals. This marks the second consecutive edition in which India has topped the medal tally at the age-group world championship, following their dominant performance in Lima, Peru in 2024.
The Championship at a Glance
The 5th ISSF Junior World Championship was held from June 16 to June 26, 2026 at the Schiessportzentrum in Suhl, Germany. The championship featured competitions across rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines in both Olympic and non-Olympic events for athletes in the Under-21 age category. Over 800 shooters from 70 national federations participated in the 11-day event, showcasing the depth of global junior shooting talent.
India fielded the largest contingent with 84 shooters, reflecting the country’s growing investment in grassroots shooting development. The medals were spread across individual, team, and mixed team events, highlighting the remarkable breadth of talent in the Indian squad.
India’s Gold Medal Winners
India’s campaign got off to a flying start on the opening day when Sejal Kamble won the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol Women Junior individual event. She then teamed up with Vanshika Choudhary and Navya Bishnoi to claim gold in the 10m Air Pistol Women Junior Team event, giving India early momentum.
Sameer delivered a composed performance in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Junior final, finishing with 28 hits to claim gold. Rohit Kanyan followed with a superb display in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Junior event, adding another top podium finish. Pritam Kendre then produced a masterclass in the 10m Air Rifle Men Junior final, scoring 251.3 points to narrowly defeat neutral athlete Timofei Aleinikov by just 0.4 points.
Abhinav Deshwal won gold in the 25m Standard Pistol Men Junior event, while the mixed team pair of Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Abhinav Shaw shattered the junior world record to win gold in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Junior competition, capping India’s golden run in style.
Silver and Bronze: The Supporting Cast
India’s silver medals came from a range of talented shooters across multiple disciplines. Prachi Gaikwad finished runner-up in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Women Junior event with a score of 354.7. Shiva Narwal secured silver in the 10m Air Pistol Men Junior individual event and then partnered Vanshika Chaudhary to claim another silver in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team Junior competition. Shaurya Dilip Bharne won silver in the 25m Standard Pistol Women Junior event, while Aishwarya Ravichandra Balehosur narrowly missed gold in the 50m Pistol Women Junior event, finishing with 540-11x against the winner’s 540-12x.
Several team events also produced silver medals. The trio of Shiva Narwal, Sandeep Bishnoi, and Chirag Sharma claimed silver in the 10m Air Pistol Men Junior Team event. Abhinav Deshwal, Jatin, and Abhinav Choudhary secured silver in the 25m Standard Pistol Men Junior Team competition, while Kumar Yogesh, Prateek, and Abhinav Choudhary added another team silver in the 50m Pistol Men Junior event.
The bronze medals were equally well distributed. Himanshi won bronze in the 10m Air Pistol Women Junior event, Anvii Rathod added bronze in the 10m Air Rifle Women Junior, and Yug Pratap Singh Rathore claimed bronze in the 10m Air Pistol Men Junior event, ensuring a double podium finish for India alongside Shiva Narwal’s silver. Raj Chandra rounded off the individual bronze tally with a third-place finish in the 50m Pistol Men Junior event.
In team events, bronze medals came in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men Junior Team (Rohit Kanyan, Vedant Nitin Waghmare, Hithesh Srinivasan), the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Men Junior Team (Sameer, Abhinav Choudhary, Sahil Choudhary), the 25m Pistol Women Junior Team (Anjali Bhagwat, Parisha Gupta, Nithila Christopher), and the 25m Pistol Men Junior Team (Abhinav Choudhary, Raj Chandra, Jatin). Parisha Gupta along with Sanskriti Bana and Sejal Kamble also secured bronze in the 50m Pistol Women Junior Team event.
Missed Opportunities and the Shotgun Challenge
India’s campaign could have been even more impressive but for a few setbacks. Vanshika Choudhary suffered a heartbreaking moment in the women’s 10m air pistol final when she failed to fire her last shot while challenging for gold, apparently due to confusion in the closing moments. The missed attempt denied India a potential clean sweep in the event.
In the 10m Air Rifle Men Junior Team event, India’s result was recorded as DSQ (disqualified) after Abhinav Shaw was found to have equipment that did not meet ISSF regulations, despite strong individual performances from Pritam Kendre and Divyanshu Dewangan. Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar was also disqualified in the women’s 10m Air Rifle Team event for failing the ISSF apparel stiffness test.
The most notable concern was India’s blank in shotgun events. The Indian contingent failed to win a single medal in trap or skeet across the entire championship. No Indian men’s shooter reached the finals in shotgun events, while Bhavya Tripathi and Rishan Guron qualified for the women’s finals but finished eighth and seventh respectively. This weakness in shotgun disciplines remains an area that requires focused attention, especially with shotgun events being part of the Olympic programme.
India’s Growing Dominance in Junior Shooting
India’s performance in Suhl continues a remarkable upward trajectory in junior shooting. At the previous edition of the ISSF Junior World Championship held in Lima, Peru in 2024, India had topped the medal standings with 24 medals (13 gold, 3 silver, 8 bronze). The 2026 campaign, while producing fewer golds, demonstrated greater depth with medals spread across a wider range of events and shooters.
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) , called it a phenomenal achievement and noted that the medals came not from one or two individual stars but across rifle and pistol, individual, mixed, and team events. He said this proves that structural grassroots programmes are working effectively.
The success builds on India’s rich shooting heritage that began with Abhinav Bindra’s historic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the men’s 10m Air Rifle event. India has since produced a consistent pipeline of world-class shooters, and the junior programme has become a major feeder system for the senior national team. The NRAI, founded in 1951 and headquartered in New Delhi, oversees the development of shooting talent through national championships, selection trials, and international exposure.
Pawankumar Singh, Secretary General of NRAI, highlighted that Suhl always tests young athletes because of the intense conditions and competition. Seeing the junior team handle that pressure consistently across events is highly encouraging for the future of Indian shooting.
About the ISSF and the Junior World Championship
The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) is the world governing body for Olympic shooting events. It was founded in 1907 as the International Shooting Union (UIT) and renamed to its current name in 1998. The ISSF is headquartered in Munich, Germany, and currently has 159 member federations from 147 countries. Luciano Rossi of Italy has served as ISSF President since 2022.
The ISSF Junior World Championship was introduced as a separate championship in 2017, with the first edition also held in Suhl, Germany. It features competitions in rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines for athletes in the Under-21 age category. As per ISSF rules, a shooter ceases to be a junior on December 31 of the year they turn 21. The championship provides a crucial platform for identifying and nurturing future Olympic talent, with many past junior champions graduating to successful senior international careers.
Key Takeaways
- India topped the medal standings at the 5th ISSF Junior World Championship in Suhl, Germany, with 25 medals (7 gold, 8 silver, 10 bronze).
- Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) finished second with 14 medals, followed by Italy with 10 medals.
- The championship was held from June 16 to 26, 2026, featuring over 800 shooters from 70 federations.
- Sejal Kamble won two gold medals (individual and team) in the 10m Air Pistol Women Junior event.
- Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar and Abhinav Shaw set a junior world record to win gold in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Junior event.
- The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) , founded in 1951, is headquartered in New Delhi and is the governing body for shooting sports in India.
- The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) was founded in 1907 and is headquartered in Munich, Germany.
