India’s Shooting Contingent Continues Medal Rush at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol 2025 in Cairo
India’s shooting team maintained its impressive medal streak on Day 2 of the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol 2025, held in Cairo, Egypt. Olympian Anish Bhanwala delivered a magnificent and hard-fought silver medal performance in the men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event, marking a significant milestone as his first-ever individual podium finish at a senior World Championship.
### Anish Bhanwala’s Resilient Journey to Silver
The 23-year-old shooter’s spectacular performance stood out as India’s sole medal of the day, underscoring his resilience and composure under immense pressure. Bhanwala qualified second for the final, posting a strong score of 585-22x, and immediately found himself in a high-stakes sequence of tie-breaks.
Demonstrating remarkable nerve, he survived a double shoot-off to eliminate Germany’s Emanuel Mueller, securing fourth place. Showing even greater tenacity, Bhanwala then staged a comeback in a second double shoot-off against Ukraine’s Maksym Horodynets, ensuring a top-two finish and thereby clinching a medal.
In the ultimate gold medal showdown, Bhanwala fought valiantly, finishing with 28 hits. However, France’s Clément Bessaguet dominated the event to claim Gold with 31 hits, while Horodynets settled for Bronze.
This silver medal not only added a crucial accolade to India’s medal tally but also secured Bhanwala’s qualification for the prestigious ISSF World Cup Final, scheduled for next month in Doha.
### Other Indian Highlights on Day 2
While Bhanwala’s heroics grabbed the headlines, other Indian shooters actively competed in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team events.
– The primary duo of Olympian Elavenil Valarivan and Arjun Babuta delivered a creditable performance, finishing eighth in the qualification round with a combined score of 632.3. Despite their strong effort, they narrowly missed advancing to the medal rounds by just 1.6 points.
– The second Indian team, featuring Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and Shreya Agrawal, placed 21st with a score of 628.8.
In the same 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event, India’s Adarsh Singh and Sameer did not qualify for the finals, but their combined efforts contributed to India securing a fifth-place finish in the team standings.
### India’s Overall Medal Tally and Outlook
Anish Bhanwala’s individual silver brought India’s overall medal count at the championships to five: one gold, two silvers, and two bronzes. This successful run builds on a high-octane Day 1, which saw Army marksman Ravinder Singh clinch the first gold and a team silver, alongside Olympian Elavenil Valarivan’s impressive double bronze haul.
The Indian challenge continues in Cairo, with top shooters—including Paris 2024 Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale—set to compete in upcoming events.
Stay tuned for more updates as India’s shooting stars aim to add further glory to their campaign at the ISSF World Championship 2025.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/indian-sports/issf-world-championship-rifle-pistol-day-2-anish-bhanwala-s-historic-silver-caps-strong-indian-show
