Indian pistol shooters came away from a big day at the ISSF World Championship in Doha with a team silver but no individual medal. On Thursday, November 5, Manu Bhaker and Suruchi Inder Singh both reached the women's 10m air pistol final at the Lusail Shooting Range, but finished fifth and sixth as China took gold and silver.
The result also means India has not yet secured an LA 2028 Olympic quota from this event, one of the first major competitions to offer individual quota places for the next Games.
Strong Qualification, Team Silver
Manu, the double Paris 2024 Olympic bronze medallist, was in excellent touch in qualification. She shot 583 to finish third, with a perfect 100 in her fourth series. Suruchi grabbed the eighth and final spot in the final with 580, while Sainyam Vij finished 22nd with 575.
The three scores added up to 1738, enough for the team silver medal. China, led by top qualifier Jiang Ranxin, won team gold with 1745.
Final: China Finish One-Two
In the eight-woman final, Manu was eliminated in fifth place, with Suruchi going out just before her in sixth. China's Jiang Ranxin won gold, teammate Yao Qianxun took silver, and Hungary's Veronika Major claimed bronze.
Women's 10m Air Pistol: Key Results
| Event / Shooter | Result |
|---|---|
| Manu Bhaker (qualification) | 3rd, 583 |
| Suruchi Inder Singh (qualification) | 8th, 580 |
| Sainyam Vij (qualification) | 22nd, 575 |
| Team event | India silver, 1738 (China gold, 1745) |
| Final gold | Jiang Ranxin, China |
| Final silver | Yao Qianxun, China |
| Final bronze | Veronika Major, Hungary |
| Manu Bhaker in final | 5th |
| Suruchi Inder Singh in final | 6th |
How a Shooting Final Works
World Championship finals are unforgiving. Scores from qualification are wiped clean, and the eight finalists start again from zero. After an opening stage, the lowest-scoring shooter is knocked out after every two shots until only the medallists remain. One loose shot can end a medal bid, which is why a strong qualification score like Manu's 583 offers no guarantee once the final begins.
Shots in finals are also scored in decimals, up to 10.9 per shot, so tiny differences in the centre of the target separate the podium from the rest. Fifth and sixth places in a field this strong are still a sign that India's pistol shooters belong among the world's best.
Manu Bhaker's Big-Stage Record
Manu became one of the faces of Indian sport at the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she won bronze in the women's 10m air pistol and another bronze in the mixed team event alongside Sarabjot Singh. That made her the first Indian athlete since independence to win two medals at a single Olympic Games. Since then, she has remained India's go-to name in pistol finals, and Thursday's third-place qualification score showed her form is still close to the top.
Why the Olympic Quota Matters
The World Championship is the first major event to hand out quota places for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in individual events. These quotas belong to the country, not the shooter, and they decide how many athletes India can send in each event. Before Thursday's final, India had not won a medal or a quota in the Olympic disciplines at this championship, which made the women's air pistol final a big opportunity.
Missing out here is not a disaster, since there are more qualification events before LA 2028, but an early quota would have eased pressure on the national federation and the shooters.
India's Campaign So Far
India's best moments in Doha have come in non-Olympic team events. The men's 50m pistol team of Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh won gold, Ravinder added an individual silver in 50m pistol, and the women's 10m air rifle team of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Shambhavi Kshirsagar won silver. Thursday's air pistol team silver adds to that tally.
For Suruchi, simply making a World Championship final is another step forward. The young shooter has been one of India's rising stars, and recently won mixed team 10m air pistol gold at the Asian Games in Japan. Manu, meanwhile, continues to be India's most consistent performer in big finals.
What Happens Next
The championship continues in Doha, with Indian shooters still to compete in several events, including the 10m air pistol and 10m air rifle mixed team competitions, as well as skeet and trap. Manu and Suruchi are expected to be key names in the air pistol mixed team, where India has a strong record. Fans will be hoping one of those events finally delivers India's first Olympic quota of the LA 2028 cycle.
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