India’s Niraj Kumar delivered an impressive performance to top the qualification round of the men’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions event and secure his place in the final at the ISSF World Championships 2026 in Doha on Wednesday.
His achievement came a day after he teamed up with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran to win bronze in the men’s team event.
Niraj finished qualification with a score of 591-29x, comfortably securing the top position among the competitors. Fellow Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar also progressed to the final after finishing fourth with 586-27x.
Niraj Kumar Dominates Qualification With 591-29x
Niraj displayed consistency across all three positions to finish at the top of the qualification standings. He scored 196 in kneeling, 198 in prone and 197 in standing, accumulating a total of 591 points with 29 inner tens.
Switzerland's Jan Lochbihler finished second with 586-35x, while Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg secured third place with 586-28x. Aishwary completed the qualification in fourth position with 586-27x, ensuring two Indian shooters advanced to the eight-man final.
Niraj's performance gave India a strong opportunity to add another individual medal to its tally at the championship.
India Win Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions Team Bronze
The Indian trio of Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran and Niraj Kumar had already secured the bronze medal in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team competition on Tuesday.
India finished with a combined score of 1751-91x, just one point behind silver medallists Norway, who scored 1752-81x. Czechia claimed gold with 1754-92x.
Aishwary was India's highest scorer with 587-33x, while Niraj and Akhil contributed 582-31x and 582-27x respectively. The narrow margin meant India missed out on silver by just one point.
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India Continue Strong Campaign At ISSF World Championships
India's bronze in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team event added to an impressive medal run in Doha. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya Thadigol Subbaraju had earlier won gold in the women's 25m pistol team event with a combined score of 1761-68x.
Jaypal Malviya also secured India's second Olympic quota place at the championship after winning silver in the men's 10m air pistol event.
The ISSF World Championships are being held in Doha from November 1 to 14, with shooters competing for medals and qualification places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.