ISSF World Championships 2026: India Wins Women's 10m Air Rifle Team Silver as Elavenil Valarivan Finished Sixth in Final

Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Shambhavi Kshirsagar combined for 1894.4 points to secure India's second silver medal in Doha. Elavenil also qualified for the individual final but finished sixth, missing out on both a World Championships medal and an LA 2028 Olympic quota.

India added another medal to its tally at the ISSF World Championships 2026 in Doha, winning silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event on Tuesday. The Indian trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Shambhavi Kshirsagar combined for 1894.4 points to finish second behind China, giving the country its second silver medal of the competition.

China dominated the event with 1899.8 points to claim gold, while Japan secured bronze with 1892.6 points. The narrow margins between the three teams underlined the competitiveness of the event, with India finishing just 1.8 points ahead of Japan.

The team silver added to India's strong start in Doha, following the gold medal-winning performance in the men's 50m pistol team event. India now has one gold and two silver medals at the championships and sits second in the overall medal standings, behind China, which leads with seven medals, including three gold.

Elavenil was the highest scorer among the three Indian shooters, registering 634.2 points in qualification. Sonam Maskar contributed 630.5, while Shambhavi Kshirsagar added 629.7. The combined effort of 1894.4 points was enough to secure the silver medal, with the trio delivering a consistent performance against strong international opposition.

Elavenil's individual qualification performance also earned her a place in the women's 10m air rifle final. The two-time Olympian and World Championships medallist finished third in qualification, placing herself among the leading contenders heading into the final.

Her score of 634.2 points was a significant achievement, but the final did not produce the outcome she would have hoped for. Elavenil finished sixth, missing out on an individual World Championships medal as well as an Olympic quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Games.

The disappointment in the individual event, however, does not take away from her contribution to India's team silver. Her qualification score was the highest among the Indian trio and played an important role in securing the podium finish.

The women's air rifle silver followed a successful outing by India's men's 50m pistol team. Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh combined for 1,659 points to win gold in the non-Olympic event.

Ravinder also secured the individual silver medal with a score of 559 points, giving India a double-podium finish in the discipline. The result provided India with a golden start to its campaign in Doha and established early momentum for the shooting contingent. The women's 10m air rifle team silver has now strengthened India's position in the medal standings.

India's medal tally stands at one gold and two silver medals, placing it second behind China. With several events still forming part of the championship programme, the Indian shooters will look to build on this early success.

Men's 10m air rifle team misses out

It was a less encouraging day for India's men's 10m air rifle contingent. Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon and Paarth Makhija failed to qualify for either the individual or team finals. The qualification scores highlighted the gap the Indian shooters will need to address. Mane finished 16th with 630.3 points, Dhillon placed 41st with 628.1, while Makhija ended 61st with 625.2 points.

India finished ninth in the team standings, missing out on a place in the final. The result also meant that the country missed an opportunity to compete for one of the three Olympic quota places available in the event. The contrast between the women's team's podium finish and the men's team's qualification performance reflected the mixed fortunes of the Indian contingent on the day.

India entered the 2026 edition with expectations shaped by its performance at the previous World Championships in 2025, where it finished third in the medal table with 13 medals: three gold, six silver and four bronze.

The current campaign has already delivered a team gold in men's 50m pistol, an individual silver for Ravinder Singh and a team silver in women's 10m air rifle. For the Indian contingent, the immediate focus will be on converting strong qualification performances into individual podium finishes and securing Olympic quota places wherever opportunities remain.

Elavenil's qualification for the final was one of the highlights of the women's air rifle competition, even though the sixth-place finish left her short of an individual medal and a quota. The team silver, meanwhile, offered a valuable reward for the combined efforts of Elavenil, Sonam and Shambhavi.

With one gold and two silver medals already secured, India has made a strong start in Doha. The challenge now is to sustain that momentum across the remaining events and turn the early promise into a substantial championship campaign.