Haryana Shooter Creates History with World Championships Silver
Indian shooting sensation Anish Bhanwala achieved the most significant milestone of his career on Sunday by securing a silver medal in the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol event at the ISSF World Championships. The 23-year-old athlete from Haryana displayed exceptional nerve and precision during two challenging shoot-offs in the final round, ultimately finishing with 28 points to claim the second position on the podium.
Road to the Finals: Consistent Performance Pays Off
Bhanwala entered the finals with strong qualification scores, securing the second position with a total of 585 points. His journey began on Saturday when he shot 291 in Stage 1, followed by an improved performance of 294 in Stage 2 on Sunday. This consistent showing set the stage for his remarkable final round performance against world-class competitors.
The gold medal went to French shooter Clement Bessaguet, who dominated the competition with 31 points after leading the qualification round with an impressive 589 points. Bessaguet's performance established him as the clear frontrunner throughout the championship.
Thrilling Final Round: Nail-biting Shoot-offs
Bhanwala started the final with explosive energy, hitting a perfect five in the opening series. After the initial three series of five shots each, the Indian shooter maintained second position with 16 points, closely trailing China's Ni Zhixin who led with 17 points.
As the elimination rounds intensified, Bhanwala demonstrated remarkable composure by scoring two consecutive 4s and tying with three other competitors at 20 points. The competition reached its peak when Bhanwala faced a temporary setback in the third elimination round, missing three targets and scoring 22 points while Clement extended his lead to 25 points.
The Indian shooter's resilience shone through during the critical shoot-offs against Germany's Emanuel Mueller and Ukraine's Maksym Horodynets, who eventually won the bronze medal. Bhanwala's victory in these high-pressure encounters propelled him into the gold medal match against the formidable French competitor.
Historic Achievement for Indian Shooting
This silver medal performance ranks as the second-best Indian achievement in this challenging event, following Vijay Kumar's silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics. Bhanwala had previously won silver in the mixed team event at the 2022 World Championships in Cairo, but this individual medal represents his career's most prestigious accomplishment to date.
Other Indian participants in the event included Adarsh Singh and Sameer, who finished 22nd and 35th with scores of 575 and 571 respectively. The Indian team comprising Anish, Adarsh, and Sameer secured fifth position overall with a combined score of 1731 points.
In an emotional post-match interview with ISSF, Bhanwala expressed his overwhelming feelings: "It is difficult to explain in words, but the feeling is completely unreal. I have tried a lot of times before; my preparation has been good but I could not deliver when it came to the competition. This time I was better prepared in my training and things worked out in my favour."
The silver medal has also earned Bhanwala qualification for next month's World Cup Final in Doha, providing another opportunity to showcase his talent on the global stage.
Meanwhile, in the Air Rifle mixed team event, Indian pairs faced challenges in reaching the medal matches. The duo of Arjun Babuta and Elavenil Valarivan finished eighth with 632.3 points, while Rudrankksh Patil and Shreya Agrawal placed 21st with 628.8 points.
