Samrat Rana Becomes World Champion, Wins Gold in 10m Air Pistol Event
India’s young shooter Samrat Rana created history at the ISSF World Shooting Championship held in Cairo by winning the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event. The 20-year-old Indian defeated China's star shooter Hu Kai in a thrilling final by just 0.4 points, securing India’s first-ever gold in this category. India’s Varun Tomar won bronze, adding to the country’s medal tally.
In a nail-biting finish, Rana sealed his victory with a final shot scoring 10.6, while Hu Kai managed a 10.8. However, the final total score stood at 243.7 for Rana and 243.3 for Hu Kai. This victory is even more remarkable as Hu Kai had remained unbeaten throughout the season, winning all four ISSF World Cups in 2025 and the Asian Championship title.
Samrat Rana’s Reaction After Winning
After the victory, an emotional Samrat Rana said, “I still can’t believe it. I won two medals here in Cairo during the 2022 Junior World Championship as well. I love the atmosphere here and focused only on my technique throughout the final.”
Journey of Samrat Rana
Rana’s senior international journey began this year at the ISSF World Cup in Ningbo, China, where he finished 10th. Before that, he had already proven his mettle by winning gold in both the mixed team and team events at the Junior World Championship 2022 in Cairo. In 2024, he clinched another gold medal at the World University Shooting Championship.
He began shooting at the encouragement of his father, and the family even built a small shooting range at their home in Karnal, Haryana. His consistent performance this year earned him a place in the senior national team, where he notably defeated Saurabh Chaudhary during the third selection trials.
Thrilling Final Match in Cairo
The final saw fierce competition between the world's top shooters including Hu Kai (China), Olympic champion Christian Reitz (Germany), Pavlo Korostylov (Ukraine), and Federico Maldini (Italy). Initially, Hu led with 51.2 points, followed by Rana (50.7) and Varun Tomar in fifth place. By the second round, Rana overtook Hu, and despite Tomar briefly taking the lead, Rana made a remarkable comeback to claim gold.
Women’s Event and Team Success
In the women’s category, Manu Bhaker and Ayesha Singh reached the finals but missed out on medals. Manu slipped to seventh place after scoring 8.8 on her 13th shot, while Ayesha finished sixth with 8.4.
In the men’s team event, India clinched gold as Rana, Tomar, and Shravan Kumar combined for a total of 1754 points, ahead of Italy (silver) and Germany (bronze). The women’s team also secured silver, bringing India’s total to nine medals — 3 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze — placing India second in the medal tally behind China (6 gold, 12 total medals).