Jaypal Malviya bags first Olympic quota in shooting, wins 10m air pistol silver medal at the ISSF World Championship

Jaypal Malviya attends the mixed zone after the 10m air pistol competition. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Jaypal Malviya won the silver medal in men’s 10m air pistol at the ongoing ISSF World Championship in Doha. The victory also guaranteed India its first LA 2028 Olympic quota.

The 31-year-old finished second in the final with 242.2 points, behind China’s Hu Kai, who claimed gold with 243.9. Jindrich Dubovy of the Czech Republic took bronze.

Malviya had qualified for the eight-shooter final in third place after shooting 585 across six series in the qualification round.

The medal marked a significant breakthrough for Malviya, who was competing at only his second international event after the Hangzhou World Cup. He earned his place in the Indian team through domestic selection trials.

As it happened

A total of 36 Olympic quota places are available in the competition across the 12 individual shooting events, with three berths on offer in each discipline. Quotas are allocated to National Olympic Committees rather than directly to individual athletes, meaning Malviya’s performance has secured a place for India in the men’s 10m air pistol event, while the final selection of the shooter for LA 2028 will be decided later.

India has fielded a 54-member contingent in Doha, with shooters competing across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines. The team will look to build on Malviya’s performance and add more quota places as the Championship progresses.

The Los Angeles Olympics will be held from July 14 to 30, 2028. India had secured 22 shooting quota places for the Paris 2024 Olympics and will aim to put together another strong qualification campaign for the next edition of the Games.