Cairo (Egypt): India celebrated another glorious day at the ISSF World Championships 2025 as two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan captured a bronze medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event, while Army shooter Ravinder Singh claimed a gold medal in the men’s 50m free pistol event on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Elavenil delivered a thrilling performance that kept fans on edge. Leading through most of the final, she was in contention for gold until a crucial 10.0 on her 19th shot pushed her down to third. A 9.9 on her 22nd shot eventually sealed her fate as she finished with a total of 232.0 points, settling for bronze in a tightly contested event.
Elavenil’s Battle for the Podium
The gold medal went to South Korea’s Ban Hyojin, the reigning Paris 2024 Olympic champion, who shot an exceptional 255, while China’s Wang Zifei, the junior world champion, took silver with 254 points.
Elavenil, who was tied with Hyojin at 148.5 after the 14th shot, produced stellar scores of 10.7 and 10.9 on her 16th and 17th shots to briefly take the lead. However, a dip in precision in the closing rounds saw her finish third.
“Definitely one of the most intense finals I’ve ever been part of,” said Valarivan after her podium finish.
The Indian women’s team of Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, and Shreya Agrawal also bagged the team bronze medal with a combined total of 1893.3, behind China (1901.7) and South Korea (1899.9).
In the qualification round, which determined team standings, Elavenil scored 633.4, Meghana 631.2, and Shreya 628.7. Elavenil’s performance secured her fifth place heading into the finals, while Meghana and Shreya finished 17th and 33rd respectively.
Ravinder Singh’s Golden Moment
In the men’s 50m free pistol, Ravinder Singh, a 29-year-old Naik Subedar from the Indian Army, achieved the biggest milestone of his shooting career by clinching gold with a score of 569.
Ravinder, hailing from Bishnah town in Jammu & Kashmir, outshot South Korea’s Kim Cheongyong (556) and Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Anton Aristarkhov (556), who took silver and bronze respectively.
A National Games silver medallist in 10m air pistol, Ravinder made a strong comeback after a slow start. His series of rounds—93, 98, 94, 95, 93, and 96—helped him secure the top spot among 47 shooters in the non-Olympic event.
Ravinder had earlier won an individual and team bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Baku, and this victory marks his long-awaited rise to the top.
Team Silver for India
The Indian men’s team—comprising Ravinder Singh (569), Kamaljeet (540), and Yogesh Kumar (537)—clinched the silver medal with an aggregate of 1646, narrowly missing the top spot to South Korea (1648). Ukraine took bronze with 1644 in a field of 11 teams.
This latest haul adds two more medals to India’s impressive showing at the ongoing ISSF World Championships, reaffirming the nation’s growing dominance in world shooting.