Niraj Kumar secures LA 2028 quota with 50m rifle 3-positions bronze at ISSF World Championships

Niraj Kumar secured a quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after taking bronze in the men's 50m rifle three positions at the ISSF World Championships on Wednesday. He recorded 346.5 in the final.

Niraj had been in contention for silver before a costly 9.4 on his 34th shot pushed him down to third. Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Dmitrii Pimenov claimed gold with a world junior record 362.8, while Slovakia's Patrik Jany took silver.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar was the other Indian in the final and finished fifth with 323.7. Tomar began the final strongly in the kneeling position, shooting 102.9 over 10 shots to be tied for the lead.

Tomar's performance fell away in the prone series where a string of scores in the 9s cost him ground, and his difficulties continued in the standing stage before he was eliminated in fifth place. He is described in the report as a two-time Olympian and a former World Championships silver medallist.

India also won bronze in the team event, with Niraj, Aishwary and Akhil Sheoran combining for 1,751 in the elimination round. They missed silver by a single point as Norway finished second on 1,752, while the Czech Republic took gold with 1,754; Niraj shot 582, Aishwary 587 and Akhil 582 in the elimination.

In the qualification round that preceded the final, Niraj produced 591 to top the standings and Aishwary shot 586 to finish fourth and secure his place in the final. Both entered the medal round with the opportunity to challenge for the podium, but their fortunes diverged as the final progressed, with Niraj remaining in contention while Aishwary struggled.

The 26-year-old Niraj, a Navy shooter who was part of India's silver-winning team at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya recently, remained composed through much of the final. Patrik Jany produced a 10.4 late in the contest to move ahead of Niraj into second place.

Niraj's bronze provided India with its second Olympic quota at the championships, following Jaypal Malviya's silver in the men's 10m air pistol a few days ago; Individual Neutral Athlete Dmitrii Pimenov and Patrik Jany also secured Olympic quota places.