It feels unreal: India’s Samrat Rana wins 10m air pistol gold on debut

Dubai: It was a dream debut for 20-year-old shooter Samrat Rana from Karnal, who made history at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo by becoming India’s first-ever world champion in an Olympic pistol discipline. Competing in the men’s 10m air pistol, Rana displayed remarkable composure to clinch the gold with a score of 243.7, narrowly edging out China’s Hu Kai (243.3).

“I still can’t believe it,” an elated Rana said after his victory. “Cairo has always been special for me. I won two medals here at the Junior World Championships in 2022. I just tried to stay focused on my technique with every shot towards the end.”

The final was a tense battle, with the lead frequently changing among Rana, Hu Kai, and fellow Indian Varun Tomar. Rana’s calm under pressure proved decisive, as Tomar secured the bronze with 221.7, marking the first time two Indian shooters shared a podium in the same event at the World Championships.

India also struck team gold, thanks to the combined scores of Rana (586), Tomar (586), and Shravan Kumar (582), totalling 1754 points. Italy took silver, while Germany claimed bronze. Shravan’s 12th-place individual finish further highlighted India’s growing strength in pistol shooting.

For Rana, the triumph was especially meaningful after a disappointing start to the year, having missed qualification for the ISSF World Cup Final in Ningbo. “I kept reminding myself to stay calm and trust my process,” he said. “It feels unreal to finally see it all come together.”

Trained by his father since 2018, Rana has steadily risen through the ranks, capturing the World University gold last year. His latest feat firmly establishes him among India’s brightest Olympic hopefuls.

Tomar’s bronze also sparked celebration back home. His father, Vishesh Tomar, a teacher from Benoli village in Baghpat, expressed his joy: “I’m overjoyed with Varun’s performance. His cousin, Saurabh Chaudhary, has been a huge influence — they trained under the same coach in Benoli before Varun, now a Naib Subedar in the Army, moved to Meerut under a new coach.”

“Varun now trains at the National Centre of Excellence at the Karni Singh Ranges in Delhi,” he added. “He’s incredibly dedicated — his coach often told him to rest, but he just couldn’t stay away from the range.”

In the women’s 10m air pistol, India’s Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh both started strong but fell short of the podium. Manu, a two-time Olympic medallist, finished seventh after an 8.8 on her 14th shot, while Esha placed sixth, undone by an 8.4 late in the final. However, the trio of Esha (583), Manu (580), and world No. 1 Suruchi Inder Singh (577) still secured team silver with a combined 1740 points.

Rana’s gold lifted India to third place in the overall medal standings, trailing only China, who lead with six golds.