India Dominates at ISSF Junior World Cup with 26 Medals
In an impressive display of skill and determination, India finished at the top of the medals table at the ISSF Junior World Cup, securing a total of 26 medals over the course of seven competitive days. The event saw participation from eight countries, with five nations—India, AIN (Individual Neutral Athlete), Italy, Croatia, and Czechia—each clinching gold medals.
Medal Standings Overview
India concluded its campaign with an outstanding tally of:
- Gold: 8
- Silver: 10
- Bronze: 8
Following India, AIN secured the second position with:
- Gold: 5
- Silver: 3
- Bronze: 4
Italy took third place with:
- Gold: 2
- Silver: 2
- Bronze: 1
Czechia and Croatia also contributed to the medal tally with two golds and one silver from Czechia, while Croatia secured one gold.
Other countries that made their mark on the medals table included Spain, Finland, Cyprus, and Iran.
Key Performances on Final Day
On the final day of competition at the Dr. Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad, Aleksandra Tikhonova of AIN triumphed over India’s Tejaswani in the women's sports pistol event, winning the gold with a score of 33-30. Tikhonova, who had started the event as the qualification topper, was neck and neck with Tejaswani at 26-26 before the last two series of shots.
In a remarkable finish, Tikhonova demonstrated her prowess by hitting seven shots over the final ten attempts, while Tejaswani managed four, awarding AIN another coveted gold medal.
However, India managed to secure a consolation gold on the last day through Mukesh Nelavalli in the non-Olympic sports pistol junior men’s event.
Mixed Trap Event Highlights
In the mixed trap event, Indian athletes Addya Katyal and Arjun showcased their talent by scoring 136, narrowly missing the opportunity to compete for a medal by just one point.
Final Results Summary
Here are the final results for key events:
Sports Pistol: Junior Women
- Aleksandra Tikhonova (AIN) - 33 (573)
- Tejaswani - 30 (580)
- Alessandra Fait (Italy) - 28 (576)
- Naamya Kapoor - 21 (575)
- Riya Thatte - 16 (571)
25m Sports Pistol: Junior Men
- Mukesh Nelavalli - 585
- Aleksandr Kovalev (AIN) - 577
- Sahil Choudhary - 573
- Sameer Ghulia - 573
- Somil Chaudhary - 572
- Raghav Verma - 572
Trap: Mixed Team
- Czechia (Tereza Zaviskova, Tomas Nantl) - 39 (139)
- Czechia-2 (Lea Kucerova, Kamil Bednar) - 38 (141)
- Spain-2 (Irene Ruiz, Isaac Hernandez) - 40 (7) 138
- Italy (Sofia Gori, Luca Gerri) - 40 (6) 137
- India (Addya Katyal, Arjun) - 136
- India-2 (Bhavya Tripathi, Aryan Vansh Tyagi) - 132
India's remarkable performance at the ISSF Junior World Cup not only showcases the country's growing strength in shooting sports but also highlights the potential of its young athletes on the international stage.