Jaypal Malviya clinched the silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Championship in Doha on Thursday, November 5, securing India's very first quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS via The Freedom Press

Shooting at the Lusail Shooting Complex, the Madhya Pradesh marksman scored 242.2 in the 24-shot final to finish second behind China's Hu Kai, who took gold with 243.9. Czechia's Jindrich Dubovy won bronze with 220.9. Three Olympic quota places were on offer in the event, and all three medallists earned one for their countries.

Malviya had qualified for the eight-man final in third place with 585, then held his nerve through the elimination rounds to keep Dubovy at bay and seal the silver. The World Championships in Doha are the first qualification event for the Los Angeles 2028 Games, and India had drawn a blank in the earlier air rifle, rapid-fire pistol and women's air pistol quota events before Malviya's breakthrough.

An Olympic quota place belongs to the country, not to the individual shooter: India's entry in the men's 10m air pistol at Los Angeles 2028 is now guaranteed, and the shooter who fills it will be decided through the national selection trials closer to the Games.

Earlier on Thursday, India's women's 10m air pistol squad won the team silver medal, while Manu Bhaker finished fifth and Suruchi Singh sixth in the women's individual final, Khel Ja reported. India placed seventh in the men's team event with a combined 1730-58x.

Source: Khel Ja