India concluded its campaign at the ISSF World Cup 2025 in Munich with a haul of four medals, securing third position in the medal tally behind China and Norway. The strong performance showcased a blend of experienced shooters and emerging talents within the 36-member Indian contingent.
The highlight of India's performance was the gold medal won by Arjun Babuta and Arya Borse in the 10m air rifle mixed team event. The duo displayed exceptional skill and coordination, defeating the formidable Chinese team of Wang Zifei and Sheng Lihao with a dominant 17-7 score in the final. Notably, Sheng Lihao is the reigning men's 10m air rifle individual champion and also won gold in the mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Babuta and Borse had earlier scored 635.2 in the qualification round, finishing just 0.7 points behind the Chinese pair, who set a qualification world record score of 635.9.
Suruchi Singh also contributed a gold medal to India's tally by winning the women's 10m air pistol event. Her victory underscored India's growing strength in pistol shooting.
In addition to the gold medals, India secured two bronze medals. Sift Kaur Samra won a bronze in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event, further solidifying her reputation as a top rifle shooter. Elavenil Valarivan, a two-time Olympian, added another bronze to India's account in the women's 10m air rifle event with a score of 231.2. Notably, she also set a new national record during the qualification round of the same event, recording an exceptional score of 635.9.
While several Indian shooters performed admirably, some narrowly missed out on podium finishes. Elavenil Valarivan, paired with Kiran Jadhav, finished sixth in the 10m air rifle mixed team event with a score of 631.8. Manu Bhaker, a double Olympic medalist, partnered with Aditya Malra, also finished sixth in the 10m air pistol mixed team qualifiers with a score of 577. Manu Bhaker was unable to secure individual medals in the 10m air pistol and 25m events. Maddeneni Umamahesh was the only Indian athlete to rank within the top 8 in the qualification round for the men's 10m air rifle event, with a score of 632.3.
The next ISSF World Cup 2025 for rifle and pistol shooters will be held in Ningbo, China, in September.