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India's shooting contingent maintained its medal rush on Day 2 of the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol 2025 in Cairo, Egypt, with Olympian Anish Bhanwala clinching a magnificent and hard-fought silver medal in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event.
The 23-year-old’s spectacular performance secured the nation's only medal of the day and marked his first-ever individual podium finish at a senior World Championship, cementing the best highlight for India.
Bhanwala’s journey to the silver was a masterclass in resilience and composure under immense pressure. After qualifying second for the final with a strong score of 585-22x, the young shooter was immediately thrust into a sequence of high-stakes tie-breaks.
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He successfully survived a double shoot-off to eliminate Germany’s Emanuel Mueller for the fourth position. Showing remarkable tenacity, he then came from behind to overcome Ukraine’s Maksym Horodynets in a second double shoot-off, thus guaranteeing himself a top-two finish and a medal.
In the ultimate gold medal clash, Bhanwala put up a strong fight, finishing with 28 hits against the dominant performance of France's Clément Bessaguet, who claimed Gold with 31 hits. Horodynets settled for the Bronze.
The silver medal not only added a crucial piece of silverware to India’s tally but also confirmed Bhanwala’s qualification for the prestigious ISSF World Cup Final scheduled for next month in Doha.
Other Indian Highlights o Day 2 at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol
While Bhanwala’s heroics dominated the headlines, other members of the Indian contingent were active in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team events. Neither of the two Indian pairs managed to advance to the medal rounds, however, despite competitive performances.
The primary duo of Olympian Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta finished a creditable eighth in the qualification round, posting a combined score of 632.3. However, they narrowly missed out on a shot at the podium by a slender margin of just 1.6 points.
The second Indian team, featuring Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Shreya Agrawal, were placed 21st with 628.8. In the same 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event, India’s Adarsh Singh and Sameer finished outside the final positions, but their combined efforts contributed to a fifth-place finish in the team standings.
Anish Bhanwala's individual silver brought India’s overall medal count at the championships to five: one gold, two silvers, and two bronze medals. This successful run follows a high-octane Day 1 that saw Army marksman Ravinder Singh clinch the first Gold and a Team Silver, alongside Olympian Elavenil Valarivan's brilliant double-bronze.
The Indian challenge continues in Cairo, with top shooters, including Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale, set to take aim in subsequent events.
