Niraj Kumar wins 50m rifle 3 positions bronze at ISSF World Championships, secures LA 2028 quota

India's Niraj Kumar clinched the bronze medal in the men's 50m Rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha, Qatar, on Wednesday. His podium finish also secured India's second quota place for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Niraj finished third in the final with a score of 346.5, behind Individual Neutral Athlete Dmitrii Pimenov and Slovakia's Patrik Jany. Pimenov claimed the gold medal with a junior world record score of 362.8, while Jany settled for silver.

The Indian shooter had entered the final in strong form after topping the qualification round with 591-29x. He remained in contention for the silver medal during the final but a 9.4 in the closing stages affected his position, leaving him with bronze.

Niraj Kumar secures India's second LA 2028 Quota place

Niraj's bronze medal has given India its first rifle quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and its second overall quota at the ongoing ISSF World Championship in Doha. India's first quota place at the championship came through Jaypal Malviya, who won silver in the men's 10m Air Pistol event.

It is important to note that an Olympic quota place is secured for the country and does not automatically guarantee selection of the medal-winning shooter for the Games.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finishes fifth

India also had another finalist in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar making it to the medal round. However, Aishwary could not finish on the podium and ended the final in fifth place with a score of 323.7. The result added to India's campaign in Doha, where the shooters have continued to compete for medals and Olympic quota places.

First individual World Championship medal for Niraj

The bronze in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions final marked Niraj Kumar's first individual medal at the ISSF World Championship. It was also his second medal at the ongoing championship in Doha. He had earlier combined with Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran to win bronze in the men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions team event on November 10.