New Delhi erupted in cheers as Olympian Ilavaniyal Valarivan clinched a thrilling gold medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship. She edged out Japan’s Misaki Nobata in a nail-biting final held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range. In a historic moment, junior sensation Shambhavi Kheersagar shattered records to secure top spot in the Asian Junior final, marking a golden day for Indian shooting.
The championship’s fourth day saw India dominate with 10 gold medals, pushing their tally to an impressive 43 medals – 27 gold, 10 silver, and 8 bronze. Meghana Sajjanar added a bronze in the same event, while Manyata Singh and Anisha Sharma helped complete a clean sweep in junior women’s medals.
Ilavaniyal’s comeback was the highlight. Starting in fifth after two series, she steadily climbed, maintaining composure to finish ahead. Her precise shots, including a 10.9, averaged 10.6 in eliminations. Nobata pushed hard with back-to-back 10.8s, but Ilavaniyal held firm. The Indian team also grabbed team gold with 1892.6 points.
Shambhavi’s performance was record-breaking. Scoring 253.7, she surpassed Isha Anil Takasale’s 2024 mark of 253.1. Leading from the start, she finished four points ahead of Manyata Singh’s 249.7 silver. Her final eight shots were a masterclass: 10.7, 10.7, 10.8, 10.8, 10.9, 10.5, 10.9, 10.7. Anisha Sharma took silver with 227.5, and the trio – Shambhavi, Anisha, and Sandrata Roy – won team gold at 1884.2.
In the men’s 50m pistol, Saurabh Chaudhary, former world No.1 in air pistol, led a podium sweep with gold (563-12x). Kamaljeet Chaudhary silvered (561-16x), and reigning world champion Ravinder Singh bronzed (559-10x). Yogesh Kumar dominated juniors with gold. Ojaswi Thakur also shone in youth women’s category.
India’s team events were flawless: gold in men’s 50m pistol team over Uzbekistan and Vietnam. Junior men’s pistol saw Yogesh gold, with Guntajpreet Singh bronze. This dominance cements India’s supremacy in Asian shooting, setting the stage for future triumphs.