Pritam Kendre continued India's remarkable campaign at the ISSF Junior World Championship by clinching the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle event, as the country's medal haul rose to 11, including five gold medals.
The 16-year-old, participating in only his second international competition, delivered a composed performance in the eight-shooter final, scoring 251.3 to secure the top spot ahead of Neutral athlete Timofei Aleinikov and Norway's Jens Oestli. The Pune youngster, who recently completed his Class 10 board examinations, added another prestigious title to India's growing success at the championship.
Expressing his delight after the victory, Pritam said he remained focused solely on executing his technique and delivering his best shot every time he stepped onto the range. "I am extremely happy with this victory. Throughout the competition, my attention was on maintaining my technique and performing to the best of my abilities," he said.
The young marksman added that winning a world championship gold medal had boosted his confidence significantly and motivated him to continue improving in the 10m air rifle discipline while aiming for many more international medals in the future. He also acknowledged the role of Gagan Narang's Gun For Glory Shooting Academy in his development.
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Pritam and fellow Indian shooter Piyush Sharma were the only Indians to qualify for the final. They finished third and fifth in the qualification round with scores of 628.2 and 629.0 respectively.
While Piyush started strongly and moved into the lead early in the final, Pritam found himself in sixth position after the second series. However, he gradually climbed the rankings as the elimination rounds progressed, displaying impressive composure under pressure.
Piyush remained firmly in contention for a medal but missed out by the narrowest possible margin. He finished fourth after trailing the top three by just 0.1 point following the fourth elimination stage.
Pritam, meanwhile, maintained his momentum in the decisive moments and eventually sealed the gold medal ahead of Aleinikov. His winning performance featured 15 shots scoring 10.5 or higher, including two outstanding 10.9s and two 10.8s during the pressure-filled stages of the contest.
India, however, could not secure a place in the men's team standings after third shooter Abhinav Shaw was disqualified when his equipment failed to meet ISSF compliance standards during inspection.
Later in the competition, India added another medal when Anjali Bhagwat, Parisha Gupta and Nithila Christopher combined to win bronze in the women's 25m pistol team event with a total score of 1713 (43x). Teams competing under the Neutral Athletes banner claimed both the gold and silver medals.
Anjali was also India's sole representative in the women's 25m pistol individual final. She qualified in seventh place with a score of 577-11x, while compatriot Manvi Jain narrowly missed qualification after finishing ninth in the standings.
In the final, Anjali's campaign ended in sixth position after she lost a shoot-off against Ukraine's Karina Zaichenko during the second round of eliminations.
The fifth edition of the ISSF Junior World Championship has attracted more than 800 shooters representing 70 federations from around the world. India has fielded an 84-member contingent for the event, which will continue until June 26.
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