India’s junior shooting team finished on top of the medal tally at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2024, with a remarkable collection of 24 medals. Their impressive haul included 13 gold, three silver, and eight bronze medals, placing them well ahead of their competitors.
On the final day of the competition, India secured three more medals, two bronze and one silver. Parisha Gupta earned a silver in the women’s 50m pistol, a non-Olympic event, while Mukesh Nelavalli continued his stellar run, taking bronze in the men’s 50m pistol, marking his sixth medal in the tournament.
Additionally, Shardul Vihan and Sabeera Harris teamed up to claim bronze in the mixed team trap event.
Parisha shot a commendable 540 points in the women’s 50m pistol, but was edged out by Hungary’s Miriam Jako, who set a junior world record with a score of 546.
Azerbaijan’s Sofiya Barkhalova rounded out the podium with 535 points, securing the bronze.
Nelavalli, India’s standout performer in Lima, added another bronze to his tally with a total score of 548 in the men’s 50m pistol. He finished behind Azerbaijan’s Imran Garayev, who won gold with 552, and Romania’s Luca Joldea, who took silver with 550.
In the mixed team trap competition, Vihan and Harris scored a combined total of 138, finishing behind Czechia and Italy.
India narrowly missed out on a medal in the women’s trap event on the penultimate day of the competition. Aashima Ahlawat finished fourth, tied with Italy’s Sofia Gori on 25 points after the first seven series, but was eliminated due to her lower qualification score. Gori had qualified in second position with 115, while Ahlawat was fifth with 113.
India’s dominance was clear throughout the championship, as they finished far ahead of the competition. Italy, who placed second in the medal tally, won 13 medals, including five golds, while Norway took third place with 10 medals, four of which were gold.
Over 560 shooters from 51 countries participated in the ISSF Junior World Championship 2024. India sent a 61-member contingent, the largest in the competition, further cementing their position as a shooting powerhouse on the international stage.
