Anish Bhanwala marked a historic achievement by securing the bronze medal in the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol event at the ISSF World Cup Final in Doha. This victory stands as India’s first-ever medal in this prestigious competition. The 21-year-old had a breakthrough year, claiming his maiden senior individual ISSF World Cup stage medal, a senior Asian Championships medal, and a coveted Paris Olympic quota spot.
During the final, Anish delivered a commendable performance, scoring 27 points and finishing behind gold medalist Peter Florian of Germany, who secured 35 hits, and Li Yuehong of China, the reigning world champion, who clinched silver with 33 hits. Anish’s journey to the top six wasn’t easy, marked by a return of 92 in the final five rapid-fire series, though his qualification score of 581 edged out German shooter Christian Reitz to claim seventh place.
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Despite stiff competition from the Baku World Championship medalists in the final, Anish managed to keep pace with exceptional shooting, including two series of perfect fives among other strong rounds. Chinese shooter Jueming Zhang, Clement Bessaguet, and Czech Matej Rampula were successively eliminated, securing Anish’s podium finish.
In another event, Akhil Sheoran finished fifth in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event. Although he qualified for the final in seventh place with a score of 588, a few shots in the 9s during crucial moments dashed his medal aspirations. Akhil’s performance adds to his commendable year, having secured a bronze in the Baku World Championship and securing a Paris Olympic quota for India.
