India’s shooting contingent opened their campaign at the ISSF World Championships 2025 in stunning fashion, as Ravinder Singh clinched the gold medal in the Men’s 50m Pistol event, marking India’s first title of the tournament.
The 32-year-old shooter delivered a composed and technically immaculate performance, firing a total of 569-12x, to capture the World Champion crown ahead of a strong field that included Olympic medallists and veterans from Korea, Ukraine, and China.
Adding to the celebrations, the Indian trio of Ravinder Singh, Kamaljeet Kamaljeet, and Yogesh Kumar secured the team silver medal with a combined score of 1646-26x, narrowly missing out on gold by just two points to the Republic of Korea. The result set the perfect tone for India’s campaign in Cairo a golden beginning that reasserts the nation’s growing reputation in precision pistol events, even in the non-Olympic categories.
Dominant Individual Performance
Competing in the morning session at the sprawling Egypt International Olympic City range, Ravinder Singh displayed masterclass consistency from the very first series. His string of 93, 98, 94, 95, 93, and 96 reflected poise and rhythm rarely seen under such high-pressure conditions.
His total of 569-12x placed him comfortably ahead of the second-placed Kim Cheongyong of Korea (556-12x), who is a former world junior champion and a regular on the World Cup podium. Ravinder’s performance was marked by minimal variance across series maintaining a near-perfect hold and sight alignment throughout all six rounds, with only a brief dip during the third series.
ISSF World Championships 2025: India’s Golden Generation Takes Aim in Cairo
This result marks Ravinder’s first senior world title in an individual event, and it continues India’s fine tradition in the 50m Pistol discipline one that has previously seen legends like Jitu Rai and Vijay Kumar make their mark internationally before the event was discontinued from the Olympic program in 2017.
Speaking after his win, Ravinder reflected on the effort it took to climb to this level.
Team Silver: Narrow Miss but Big Statement
In the team standings, India’s total of 1646-26x came within touching distance of the Korean trio, who posted 1648-29x to take gold. Korea’s experienced lineup Kim Cheongyong, So Seung Seob, and Bae Jaebeom held a slender edge throughout, finishing just two points clear of India in a tense final series shootout.
India’s tally was led by Ravinder’s 569, followed by Kamaljeet Kamaljeet’s 540-9x and Yogesh Kumar’s 537-5x, both of whom held their own in a high-quality field that featured multiple European powerhouses. The third-place finish went to Ukraine (1644-17x), led by Pavlo Korostylov, who shot a strong 552-7x. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (PRK) followed in fourth, totaling 1628.
For India, this silver not only confirms depth in the men’s 50m pistol setup but also highlights the ability of its second-tier shooters to perform against elite opposition. With regulars like Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema focusing on Olympic pistol disciplines, this performance reinforces the strength of India’s wider pool of marksmen.
For Ravinder Singh, this gold medal marks a moment of redemption. Known for his composed demeanor and clinical follow-through, he had narrowly missed out on medals in the 2023 Asian Championships and last year’s national finals. His transition from national-level contender to world champion reflects a renewed focus under India’s pistol coach Ronak Pandit, who has prioritized balancing technical refinement with mental conditioning.
Under the revamped national shooting structure led by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), non-Olympic events such as the 50m pistol have continued to receive exposure through international invitations and ISSF events, giving athletes like Ravinder a consistent competitive platform.
Women’s 50m Pistol: Promising Finish for Priyanka Patel
In the Women’s 50m Pistol category, India’s Priyanka Patel produced a spirited performance to finish 6th with a total of 533-8x, while Sakshi Suryavanshi and Parisha Gupta followed closely behind in 9th and 11th, scoring 532-4x and 531-4x, respectively. The event witnessed China’s Yao Qianxun create history, equalling the world record with a score of 550-8x, also establishing a new World Junior Record (WRJ) in the process. Nigar Nasirova of Azerbaijan matched the same total (550-7x) but settled for silver on countback. Austria’s Sylvia Steiner took bronze with 540-9x.
Despite missing out on a podium, the Indian women’s trio showed strong consistency across rounds and secured valuable ranking points. Patel’s top-6 finish is particularly encouraging given that the 50m pistol remains a non-Olympic category, but one that still contributes to ISSF World Championship tallies and athlete recognition.
Ravinder Singh’s title adds to a long list of achievements for Indian pistol shooters in recent years. From Abhinav Bindra’s iconic 10m air rifle gold in 2006 to Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary, and Rudrankksh Patil’s dominance in the Olympic events, India has built one of the most diversified shooting programs globally.
The fact that a non-Olympic event has seen such high participation and technical scores reflects the ISSF’s commitment to preserving the legacy of traditional precision shooting disciplines. For India, it is also a reaffirmation that world-class talent exists beyond the Olympic circuit and that its athlete development programs are successfully creating a wide pool of capable shooters.
Results Summary
Men’s 50m Pistol – Individual
🥇 Ravinder Singh (IND) – 569-12x
🥈 Kim Cheongyong (KOR) – 556-12x
🥉 Pavlo Korostylov (UKR) – 552-7x
Men’s 50m Pistol – Team
🥇 Republic of Korea – 1648-29x
🥈 India – 1646-26x
🥉 Ukraine – 1644-17x
Women’s 50m Pistol – Individual
🥇 Yao Qianxun (CHN) – 550-8x (WR, WRJ)
🥈 Nigar Nasirova (AZE) – 550-7x (WR)
🥉 Sylvia Steiner (AUT) – 540-9x
6️⃣ Priyanka Patel (IND) – 533-8x
Golden Beginning for India
With Ravinder Singh’s gold and the men’s team silver, India has made a commanding start to the 2025 ISSF World Championships in Cairo. The results underline both the strength of India’s pistol program and its growing ability to compete across categories Olympic or otherwise. As the rifle and air pistol events get underway, the message from Cairo is clear:
Indian shooting continues to rise, one trigger pull at a time.
