Top five performers from India in ISSF Junior World Cup 2023

India were tied on number of gold medals with South Korea but secured more silver medals to finish ahead.

India showed why they are one of the powerhouses in shooting, as the nation topped the medal standings of the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 which took place in Suhl, Germany, from June 1 to June 9, 2023. With six golds, six silvers, and three bronze medals, the young Indian team showcased their skills as they propelled their nation to the top of the table.

Although South Korea bagged the same number of golds, India emerged as the more successful team with more silver medals than Korea. Another powerhouse nation, the USA, came in third with 9 medals (five gold) to end their campaign on a high.

In the last edition of the ISSF Junior World Cup too, India dominated the event by winning a whopping 33 medals. A sensational performance from the Indian team saw them collect 13 gold, 15 silver, and 5 bronze medals. Tokyo Olympians Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary both played a pivotal role in contributing to team India’s brilliant display of shooting. However, both weren’t members of India on this occasion.

The recently concluded ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 marked the presence of 46 countries and 511 promising shooters. Out of which, India fielded a total of 39 shooters who competed against the best of different nations and the young Indian brigade rose to the occasion. The young shooters made sure that they capitalized on every opportunity and stood tall amid challenges. This resulted in India’s successive outing at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023. Considering India’s terrific run at the event, we will take a look at the five shooters who excelled at the premier shooting competition for the juniors.

5) Amanpreet Singh (Gold - One)

The fourth gold medal for India was won by Amanpreet Singh in the men’s 25m Pistol event. Amanpreet, who is a student of the Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala, gained possession of the gold medal with a score of 586 out of 600 in a field comprising 31 shooters. Amanpreet’s medal later went on to play a decisive role in achieving India a top-place finish in the medal standings of the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023, ahead of South Korea.

4) Abhinav Shaw (Gold - One, Silver - One)

Abhinav Shaw also demonstrated why he is deemed one of the future stars in the Shooting sport. He ended his campaign by taking home the gold in the 10m air rifle mixed team and silver in the men’s 10m air rifle team competitions. Abhinav, who became the youngest gold medalist at the Khelo India Youth Games in 2020, showcased amazing skills alongside Gautami Bhanot in the mixed event to win the gold for the nation at the 2023 edition of the ISSF Junior World Cup.

3) Dhanush Srikanth (Gold - One, Silver - One)

Having defeated top shooters like World no. 1 Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Tokyo Olympian Divyansh Singh Panwar, and many other top rifle shooters in the domestic circuit, many had expected Dhanush Srikanth to perform well at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023. And the two-time 2021 Deaflympics gold medalist didn’t disappoint. He capped off a successful ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 campaign by claiming two medals. 

Dhanush bagged the gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle individual event, as he got past Pontus Kallin with a score of 249.4 which was 1.3 better than the Swedish shooter. Previously, he finished sixth in the qualifications, scoring 628.4, to make a place in the final round. His second medal from the competition was the silver medal in the men’s 10m air rifle team event which he captured alongside Abhinav Shaw and Saalim. Srikanth is known to have learnt the art of Shooting from Indian Olympic medalist Gagan Narang.

2) Gautami Bhanot (Gold - Two)

Another successful shooter for India at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 was Gautami Bhanot, who clinched two gold medals in the 10m air rifle mixed team event as well as the air rifle women’s team event. In the mixed team event, Gautami paired up with Abhinav Shaw and collected the prestigious gold medal as the duo defeated Oceanne Muller and Romain Aufrere of France by 16-12. 

Gautami, Swati Chowdhury, and Sonam Uttam Maskar’s combined score of 1883.5 helped India in winning the gold in the women’s team event. The shooter who hails from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh also came close to capturing a medal in the individual women’s event but had to settle for the fifth position.

1) Sainyam (Gold - One, Silver - Two)

India’s most accomplished shooter at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2023 in Suhl was Sainyam as she grabbed three medals in the Junior (U21) shooting tournament. In fact, Sainyam gave India a flying start in the tournament as she was the first shooter from India to clinch the gold medal in the women’s 10m air pistol event. However, this wasn’t her only medal as she collected two more silver medals in the competition in the Women's 10m air pistol team and 10m air pistol mixed team.

In the individual pistol event, Sainyam moved to the final round by placing third in the qualifications with a total of 571. She prevailed in the finals, overcoming the challenge of Kim Minseo as she scored 238 against the Korean athlete’s 236. Later, she partnered with Abhinav Choudhary to secure the silver medal after losing to Korean pair Kim Juri/ Kim Kanghyun 12-16 in the gold-medal match.