Neeraj Kumar wins bronze at world championships, secures LA Olympics quota

Indian shooter Neeraj Kumar put up a stellar performance at the ISSF World Championships underway in Doha, winning the bronze medal in the men's 50m rifle 3-position event. With this victory, he has secured a quota for India for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

Neeraj Kumar scored 346.5 points in the final to claim the bronze medal. In this event, Dmitry Pimenov won the gold medal with a junior world record of 362.8 points, while Slovakia's Patrik Jany managed to win the silver medal with 357.2 points. India's Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished fifth with 323.7 points.

This is India's second shooting quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. Earlier last week, Jaipal Malviya had won the silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol event to secure the country's first quota.

According to the rules, a shooter can win only one Olympic quota. Patrik Jany, who finished second, had already secured a quota in the 10m air rifle, due to which this quota was given to Norway's Jon-Herman Hegg, who finished fourth.

It is worth noting that Swapnil Kusale had won a historic bronze medal in this same 50m rifle 3-position event at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Three Olympic quotas have been designated for each of the 12 individual events at the Doha World Championships.

Key developments

• Neeraj Kumar won bronze in 50m rifle 3-position event
• India's second shooting quota confirmed for Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
• Earlier Jaipal Malviya had secured a quota in 10m air pistol