India Strike Gold In Doha As Shooting Trio Win World Championship Team Title

 

Representative shooting photo.

India made a dream start to the ISSF World Championships 2026 in Doha, Qatar, as Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh won gold in the men's 50m pistol team event on Tuesday, November 3. The trio combined for a score of 1659, finishing ahead of China and South Korea, and gave India its first gold medal of the championships in style.

The victory was made even sweeter by Ravinder Singh, who also won an individual silver medal in the same event, while the women's 10m air rifle team added another silver later in the day. It was a powerful opening statement from a 54-member Indian squad led by two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker.

A Perfect Start In Doha

The men's 50m pistol team final was a test of calm, concentration and consistency, and the Indian trio passed it with flying colours. Their combined score of 1659-24x put them 11 points clear of China, who finished second with 1648-26x, while South Korea took bronze with 1643-26x.

The championship, which runs from November 1 to 14 in Doha, is the biggest event of the current shooting cycle. It is also the first qualification opportunity for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, with 36 quota places on offer across 12 individual Olympic events. A gold on the very first medal day therefore sets the tone for the rest of the campaign.

Ravinder Leads The Way

Ravinder Singh was India's standout performer. The Army shooter, from the Army Marksmanship Unit, was the team's top scorer with 559 points, including 11 inner 10s.

In the individual competition, Ravinder's 559 was enough for silver, finishing just two points behind gold medallist Anton Aristarkhov, who scored 561. Saurabh Chaudhary, a multiple-time World Cup gold medallist, contributed 551 points, while Amanpreet Singh added 549 to complete the winning total.

Women Add Silver Too

India's women were not far behind. The trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar won silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event, scoring 1894.4 points. China won gold with 1899.8, while Japan took bronze with 1892.6.

Together, the men's gold and the two silvers gave India three medals on the opening day of the championships. It was a reminder of the depth in Indian shooting, where success is no longer limited to one or two star names but spread across men's and women's events.

What This Means For LA 2028

The Doha championships matter for more than medals. With Olympic quota places at stake in the 12 individual Olympic events, every strong performance builds momentum for the road to Los Angeles 2028. India missed out on quotas in the 10m air rifle events on the opening day, but with the championships running until November 14, there are many more chances to come.

For Ravinder Singh, the double medal haul marks his arrival as a shooter to watch on the world stage.

Conclusion

India's opening day in Doha had everything a fan could ask for: a team gold, an individual silver and a women's team silver. The trio of Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh shot with precision and composure to beat two of the world's strongest shooting nations.

If this is the standard India sets at the start of the championships, the next ten days in Doha could bring even more medals.

Which Indian shooter do you think will win the next gold at the World Championships in Doha?