Doha, November 11, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Niraj Kumar secured an Olympic quota place for India in the men’s 50m rifle 3-position event at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics after winning bronze at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Doha on Wednesday.
This is India’s second shooting quota for the 2028 Olympics. Jaypal Malviya had secured the first after winning silver in the men’s 10m air pistol event last week.
Niraj finished with 346.5 points, behind Slovakia’s Patrik Jany, who scored 357.2, and gold medallist Dmitrii Pimenov, who won with 362.8 points, setting a Junior World Record.
India’s Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished fifth with 323.7 points. Croatia’s Petar Gorsa, France’s Romain Aufrere and Switzerland’s Jan Lochbihler finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Niraj’s quota came in the same event in which Swapnil Kusale won a historic bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first Indian shooter to claim an Olympic medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3-position event.
Jany had already secured a quota place in the men’s 10m air rifle event and was therefore ineligible for a second quota. The place went to Norway’s Jon-Hermann Hegg, who finished fourth with 335.9 points. Pimenov also secured a quota through his victory.
Under ISSF rules, an athlete can secure only one Olympic quota place for their National Olympic Committee. If an athlete who has already earned a quota finishes in a qualifying position in another event, the place is awarded to the next eligible competitor.
The ISSF World Championship Doha 2026 is offering three Olympic quota places in each of the 12 individual events across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines.
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