The opening three days of competition at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in China brought little cheer for the Indian shooting contingent, with no finalist appearances in either individual or mixed team events.
Despite a few encouraging individual scores, the overall results underlined a challenging start for the squad in one of the key events on the international calendar.
Air Rifle Men: Mid-table finishes
In the 10m Air Rifle Men’s event, India fielded a strong line-up, but none of the shooters managed to break into the top eight required for a finals berth. Divyansh Singh Panwar, one of India’s most experienced shooters, posted a score of 630 to finish 19th. Close behind was Parth Mane with 629.3 for 29th place, followed by Paarth Makhija in 32nd (628.4). Umamahesh Maddineni recorded 627.7 to finish 39th, while Niraj Kumar was further back in 54th with 626.1.
Given the high cut-off scores that now define this discipline, India’s performance reflected a gap with the top tier, where several competitors scored well above 632.
Air Pistol Men: Samrat Rana shows promise
The 10m Air Pistol Men’s event saw a slightly better showing, with Samrat Rana narrowly missing out on a finals berth. His score of 582 placed him 10th overall, making him India’s highest finisher across all events so far. Behind him, Anmol Jain (578, 22nd) and Ujjawal Malik (577, 25th) stayed competitive in patches but fell short of the consistency needed across six series. Amit Sharma (576, 28th) and Nishant Rawat (568, 42nd) rounded off India’s challenge.
While Rana’s near miss was encouraging, the absence of an Indian finalist was another reminder of the fine margins in a field packed with international depth.
25m Pistol Women: Consistency without breakthrough
India had four experienced names in the 25m Pistol Women’s event, but none progressed beyond qualification. Abhidnya Patil came closest, scoring 583 for 11th place just outside the cutoff for the final. Rhythm Sangwan, expected to be among the top performers, finished 14th with 582.
Veterans Divya Subbaraju and Rahi Sarnobat both scored 581, placing 16th and 17th respectively. Niveditha Nair closed at 25th with 576. While the scores indicated competitive consistency, the lack of a breakthrough finish reflected the difficulty of converting opportunities in this tightly contested event.
Mixed team events: Outside the top ten
The mixed team events also offered India no relief. In the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team, the pair of Ramita and Umamahesh finished 14th with 628.6, while Meghana and Divyansh struggled, placing 34th with 622.1. In the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team, Surbhi and Amit posted 574 for 11th place, narrowly missing the top eight, while Rhythm and Nishant finished 13th with 571.
Both rifle and pistol pairs were unable to mount a serious challenge for the knockout stages, continuing the trend of India’s subdued showing across events.
Early patterns and key takeaways
Three days into the competition, the Indian shooters are yet to reach a final, with the best finishes being:
- 10th place: Samrat Rana in 10m Air Pistol Men
- 11th place: Abhidnya Patil in 25m Pistol Women
This reflects a contrast to previous World Cups, where India often had multiple finalists across both rifle and pistol disciplines. The current results highlight two clear patterns:
Depth without conversion: Several Indian shooters have finished in the top 15–20 bracket, suggesting depth, but the final leap into the top eight has been missing.
Pressure of fine margins: In disciplines like Air Rifle and Air Pistol, where qualification cut-offs are razor thin, India’s scores have consistently fallen just short of the required levels.
The ISSF World Cup in China comes in a year crowded with international events, where shooters are also looking to secure rankings and preparation ahead of bigger competitions. For India, the results so far suggest that while the talent pool remains strong, the ability to consistently perform at the highest level on the global stage remains a work in progress. The performances of experienced names like Divyansh Panwar and Rhythm Sangwan, alongside younger shooters like Samrat Rana and Abhidnya Patil, underline both continuity and the need for sharper execution in pressure situations.
With several more events still to come in the World Cup schedule, India will be aiming for improvements in the later stages, especially in rifle and pistol categories where they have historically excelled. The first three days have shown that while the shooters are competitive, reaching finals will require greater precision and the ability to lift scores in crucial moments.
For now, the early phase of the World Cup has been a reminder of the rising global standards in shooting—and the challenge for India to match them consistently.
Summary of Indian Results (Day 1–3)
- 10m Air Rifle Men: Best Indian – Divyansh Panwar, 630 (19th)
- 10m Air Pistol Men: Best Indian – Samrat Rana, 582 (10th)
- 25m Pistol Women: Best Indian – Abhidnya Patil, 583 (11th)
- 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team: Best Indian pair – Ramita / Umamahesh, 628.6 (14th)
- 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team: Best Indian pair – Surbhi / Amit, 574 (11th)
No Indian finalist so far after three days of competition.
The first three days of the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in China have offered India little in terms of results, with no finalists in individual or mixed team events. While there have been competitive scores and close misses most notably from Samrat Rana and Abhidnya Patil the absence of podium threats so far marks a subdued start.
With more events ahead, the challenge for India’s shooters will be to sharpen consistency and seize the critical margins that decide finals qualification in today’s tightly contested international shooting landscape.
