Niraj Kumar Wins World Championships Bronze, LA 2028 Quota

Niraj Kumar won bronze in the men’s 50m rifle three-position final at the 2026 ISSF Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar, securing India’s first rifle quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Kumar scored 346.5 after 34 shots in the final to claim his maiden individual medal at the World Championships.

The result also marked India’s second shooting quota of the campaign, following Jaypal Malviya’s air pistol quota. Kumar’s medal carried additional significance for India’s rifle programme, extending the country’s run of medals in the men’s 50m 3P event at the World Championships to three consecutive editions.

Kumar leads qualification before taking bronze

Kumar entered the final after topping qualification with a score of 591. He was the only shooter in the field to cross the 590 mark, according to the event report, as the leading competitors faced difficult scoring conditions in qualification.

He maintained that form through much of the final, spending a major portion of the contest in the top two and remaining in contention for silver heading into the latter stages. Kumar was still in the race for the higher medal before his 34th shot, but a 9.4 ended his silver-medal chance. His final total of 346.5 nevertheless secured bronze and the Olympic quota place.

It is Kumar’s first individual World Championships medal and a notable result in an Olympic rifle discipline. The quota earned through his podium finish is India’s first in rifle for LA 2028, adding an early qualification achievement to the team’s campaign in Doha.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, India’s reigning World Championships medallist in the event, finished fifth in the final with 323.7. Akhil Sheoran, the 2023 bronze medallist, placed 42nd in qualification.

India extend men’s 50m 3P medal sequence

Kumar’s bronze followed Akhil Sheoran’s bronze in 2023 and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar’s silver in 2025, making it India’s third straight World Championships medal in the men’s 50m rifle three-position event. The sequence underlines India’s continued presence in the discipline across recent editions of the championships.

The three Indian shooters had also earned a team bronze medal on Tuesday. Kumar, Tomar and Sheoran combined for 1751 in the elimination round, finishing behind Czechia and Norway.

With Kumar’s individual bronze, India’s overall medal count at the championships reached 10: two gold, five silver and three bronze. India stood second on the medal tally behind China at the time of the result.

For Kumar, the Doha performance combines a first individual global medal with a direct contribution to India’s LA 2028 qualification effort. His qualification-leading 591 and final score of 346.5 delivered one of India’s key rifle results at the 2026 World Championships, while preserving the country’s medal momentum in men’s 50m 3P.