Manisha Bhanwala's historic world gold and India's shooting team gold headline Indian sport
Manisha Bhanwala became the first Indian woman to win a senior wrestling world title in Astana, while Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh won the men's 50m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championships in Doha.
Indian sport has had a landmark few days: Manisha Bhanwala won gold in the women's 59kg freestyle at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, becoming the first Indian woman to win a senior world title, and India's men's trio won the 50m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championships in Doha with a combined score of 1,659.
Wrestling: a first for Indian women
Manisha Bhanwala won gold in the women's 59kg category at the Senior World Wrestling Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan, becoming India's first female senior world champion and only the second Indian wrestler to win a senior world title, after Sushil Kumar's victory in 2010. In the final against American wrestler Abigail Nette, she trailed 0-6, levelled the score at 6-6, and completed a decisive ankle pick to secure an 8-6 victory.
India finished the championships with four medals, all won by the women's freestyle contingent: Neelam Sirohi took silver in the 50kg category and Kajal Dhochak silver in the 76kg division, while Tanu Sharma won bronze in the 72kg category. The haul placed India fourth in the women's medal table and fifth in the official team rankings with 94 points, and seventh in the overall combined standings, India's best-ever combined finish. Manisha, 29, has said she will return to the 57kg category as she prepares for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, since 59kg is not an Olympic weight.
Shooting: team gold in Doha
At the ISSF World Championships in Doha, the Indian trio of Ravinder Singh, Saurabh Chaudhary and Amanpreet Singh clinched the team gold in the men's 50m pistol competition with a combined score of 1,659-24x. Ravinder was India's top scorer with 559-11x, Saurabh contributed 551-7x and Amanpreet added 549-6x. China took silver with 1,648 and South Korea bronze with 1,643.
Ravinder also won the individual silver medal with 559, two points behind neutral athlete Anton Aristarkhov, who won gold with 561, while Romania's Luca Joldea took bronze with 558. The men's 50m pistol is not part of the Olympic shooting programme.
A silver too, but no Olympic quotas yet
India's opening day in Doha also brought a silver in the women's 10m air rifle team event, where Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar and Shambhavi Kshirsagar aggregated 1,894.4 points, behind China's gold-winning 1,899.8. Elavenil was the standout Indian performer, scoring 634.2 to reach the individual final, but finished sixth there with 167.3 points, missing out on a Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quota.
India therefore opened its medal account at the championships with one gold and two silvers on 3 November, but missed out on LA 2028 quotas in both the men's and women's 10m air rifle events. The championships in Doha run until 14 November, with 36 Olympic quota places available across 12 individual shooting events.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is Manisha Bhanwala's gold historic?
She is the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Senior World Wrestling Championships, and only the second Indian wrestler ever to win a senior world title, after Sushil Kumar in 2010.
Who won India's shooting team gold, and with what score?
Ravinder Singh (559), Saurabh Chaudhary (551) and Amanpreet Singh (549) won the men's 50m pistol team gold at the ISSF World Championships in Doha with a combined score of 1,659.
Did India win any Olympic quotas on the opening day in Doha?
No. India missed out on LA 2028 quotas in both the men's and women's 10m air rifle events, with Elavenil Valarivan finishing sixth in the women's individual final.