Indian shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar, who played in the Tokyo Olympics, created a world record in the ISSF World Cup final and won the gold in the 10-meter air rifle event in Cairo, Egypt, on Sunday.

Also Read: ISSF World Cup: Anuradha Devi wins silver in the women's 10m air pistol event

The 21-year-old Divyansh created a new world record by scoring 253.7 in the final. After this, he left behind the world record of 253.3 set by China's Sheng LIhao in the Asian Games. Divyansh won the individual World Cup gold after five years. Earlier, he had won gold in the 2019 Putian World Cup.

Divyansh showed excellent form from the very beginning of the ISSF World Cup. He scored 632.4 in the qualifying round and reached the final by topping the list. In the final of 24 marks, he did not score less than 10 even once. His fourth and sixth targets were hit at a perfect 10.9. Divyansh completely dominated the final. Italy's Danilo Sollazzo, who won silver, was 1.9 points behind him.

Meanwhile, Serbia's Lazar Kovacevic won the bronze medal, while another Indian shooter Arjun Babuta finished sixth. This is Divyansh's fourth gold medal in the ISSF World Cup following the ones he had won in Munich, Beijing and Delhi since 2019. Apart from this, the Indian shooting team of Rhythm Sangwan and Ujjwal defeated Armenian pair Elmira Karapetyan and Benik Khlghatyan 17-7 in the World Cup final.

Interestingly, the women's world record for air rifle is better at 254.0 in the name of another Chinese, Han Jiayu, recorded during the World Cup in Baku last year.

Also Read: Vijayveer Sidhu confirmed country's 17th Paris Olympic quota by qualifying for the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol final

India is at the top of the medal table in the ISSF World Cup with two gold and two silver. At the same time, Spain was second with one gold and one silver, ahead of Kazakhstan, Britain, Greece and Korea.

Welcome to our live coverage of the ISSF World Cup 2025, currently underway in Lima, Peru, from April 13 to 22, 2025.

In this LIVE blog we will update you with medal tally, India's results across compettions on daily basis. 

On day 1 of the ISS World Cup 2025, India’s Suruchi Singh clinched her second consecutive gold in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol, while Manu Bhaker secured silver.

Saurabh Chaudhary added a bronze in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol.

The pair of Saurabh Chaudhary and Suruchi Singh went on to win the Gold medal in the 10m mixed pistol event on day 2. 

Stay tuned for more updates as the world’s top shooters, including Olympic champions, battle for podium finishes at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in Peru.

Hello and welcome to Sportz Point's coverage of India at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.

Indian athletes will compete for the first time in Para-cycling, Para-judo, and Para-rowing in the Paralympic Games. Indian competitors will aim to surpass their previous record of 19 medals from the Tokyo Paralympics 2020. The competitors have already brought 4 medals to India including a gold.

On Day 2, Preeti Pal became India's first Paralympian medallist in a track event. She finished at 14.21 to grab the bronze medal in the Women’s 100m T35 finals. Manish Narwal won silver in the Men's 10m Air Pistol SH1 Final with 234.9 points at the Paralympics 2024 in Paris. 

Avani Lekhara won the gold medal in the Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 category with a score of 249.7. She also made a Paralympic record. Mona Agarwal, on the other hand, won bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle standing final with a score of 228.7. 

This is Abishek Goswami and I'll be joined later by Payal Debnath and Koushik Biswas to bring you all the updates from the web desk. 

Follow us on Twitter for all the updates. Join our Telegram and WhatsApp channels to get all the news and scores.

Stay tuned for all the live updates.

17-year-old pistol marksman Rudransh Khandelwal is ready to make his debut in the Paris Paralympics 2024. He lost his leg when he was just eight years old but he overcame everything in his way to become the world No.1 in 50m pistol (SH1) and is now aiming for gold in his maiden Paralympics.

Read Also: India at Paralympics 2024: Day 1 Schedule and Fixture

Rudransh Khandelwal eyes gold In maiden Paris Paralympics 2024

Seeing shooter Manu Bhaker struggling with a pistol malfunction during the Tokyo Olympics was a "lesson" for Rudransh. He now always carries a spare pistol for both domestic and international competitions.

"Like the weapon malfunction during competition, how to quickly get used to the other (spare) weapon and shoot. I prepare myself for every eventuality in the competition, including a delayed match, a shot getting canceled, or any other eventuality. So, if at all an adverse situation arises, I will be ready to handle it," said Rudransh.

Manu had a pistol malfunction during the 10m competitions in Tokyo which cost her a place in the final.

"That (Manu incident) gave me that thought (to always keep a spare weapon). You might have confidence in your abilities but the weapon is only a piece of equipment, which can malfunction anytime. Following that incident, every shooter gives priority to a spare weapon," Rudransh said.

His prosthetic leg broke just 15 minutes before the start of a domestic competition. It was another lesson for Rudransh to be ready with a toolkit to promptly repair the contraption.

"It's happened 15-20 minutes before a match when my prosthetic leg broke. Now I keep a toolkit to quickly repair it. And, if it happens again, I am ready for it," said Rudransh

"There was a short-circuit in the electronic gadget controlling the fireworks and a flying metal plate severed my left leg just below the knee. I was taken to a hospital in Bharatpur from where I was referred to Jaipur and then to a hospital in Gurugram but my leg couldn't be saved. So, the next thing was a prosthetic leg," Rudransh shared how he lost his leg in an accident.

Rudransh started his career with 10m air pistol. It took him seven years to get into the national squad. 

"I could not stand on my prosthetic leg for more than 2-3 hours during practice. He (coach) continued to work on me and from 2-3 hours, it became 7-8 hours. I'm 17 years old and continue to grow, so every month the prosthetic leg has to be readjusted. I have had four prosthetic leg replacements since I lost my leg. Recently, with the help of TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) funding, I have been able to afford a high-end adjustable leg costing Rs 8 lakh," he added.

There are lots of expectations from the Indian fans. The fans are expecting nothing less than a gold from the young lad and Rudransh is also confident. He said multiple times that he is absolutely ready for the competition.

Indian para-athletes are set to represent the nation at the 2024 Paralympic Games, set to take place from August 28 to September 8. A total of 84 athletes from India will be competing in the Paralympic games. India had their best campaign in the Paralympics in 2021, where they won 19 medals, including five gold, eight silver, and six bronze medals. Now, the Indian para-athletes will be looking to upgrade their performance in the upcoming Paralympic games in Paris. 

Read Also: India At Paralympics 2024: Full fixture, schedule and streaming details

India at Paralympics 2024: Key Indian Athletes to watch

Avani Lekhara

Para-shooter Avani Lekhara will be among the top medal containers for India in the 2024 Paralympics games. She won two medals in Tokyo including a gold in the 10m air rifle SH1 and a bronze in the 50m rifle 3 positions SH1. Avani also won two gold and one silver in the 2022 Para Shooting World Cup and won gold in the 2022 Para Asian Games. She has been consistent and the Indian fans will be hoping her to drop some brilliant performances and win medals for India in Paris 2024.

Manashi Joshi

Manasi Joshi is set to make her debut in the Paralympics this year. She won a gold medal in the 2019 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships. She has two silver and four medals to her name in the World Championship. Manasi also won one silver and a bronze in the 2022 Para Asian Games and will be trying her best to win a medal for India in her first appearance in the Paralympic Games.

Harvinder Singh

Harvinder Singh, the para-archer who won the bronze medal in the Individual recurve open category in the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics will be representing India in the Summer Paralympics 2024 in Paris. He also won a bronze in the 2022 Para Asian Games. Harvinder will be looking to add another medal to his list in the upcoming Paralympic games, starting from 28th August.

Sheetal Devi

The 17-year-old Indian para archer Sheetal Devi will be making her Paralympics debut in Paris 2024. She was born with a rare medical condition called phocomelia due to which she plays archery using her legs. Despite this, she has won two gold and one silver in the 2022 Para Asian Games. She would like to have a dream debut in the upcoming Paralympics in Paris. 

Sumit Patel

Para-javelin thrower Sumit Patel will be one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming Paralympics Games. He won the gold medal in the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. He added more gold to his bag during the Para Athletics World Championship in 2023 and 2024. He also won gold in the 2023 Para Asian Games in Hangzhou where he had his career-best throw of 73.29 meters. Sumit has been very consistent for India and hasn't won anything less than a gold. There will be high hopes for him.

Read Also: India at Paralympics: How many medals has India won so far?

India's Paralympic Journey

The Paralympic Games started in 1960. India sent an Indian contingent for the first time in 1968. The Paralympic journey started for India long after the Summer Olympics. The country has won 31 medals so far in the Paralympics, including 9 gold, 12 silver, and 10 bronze medals in 11 editions.

Murlikant Petkar, the hero of the 1965 Indo-Pak war, is India's first Paralympic medal winner. Murlikant Petkar won the gold medal in swimming in the Men's 50m Freestyle 3 event at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. Petkar, a soldier of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army, was a boxer. He became paralyzed after being shot during the India-Pakistan war of 1965. After this, he started swimming and brought the gold medal to India.

India's best campaign was the 2019 Paralympics. 54 athletes participated in the Tokyo Paralympics and won a maximum of 19 medals which included 5 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze medals. India finished 24th in the overall medal tally at Tokyo across 162 nations.

Impact of the 2024 Paralympics on Indian Sports

The 2024 Paralympics in Paris will have a significant impact on Indian sports if the athletes achieve the success we are expecting from them. The success of Indian athletes at the Paralympics can raise the number of para-sports in India. Media will highlight the athletes with disabilities, and promote their skills and dedication.

The Indian para-athletes have and will inspire the younger generations to choose para-sports as a profession if they are struggling with disabilities. India have a larger pool of talent and there's no doubt that the nation will grow not as an individual but as a team.

Success on the international stage will increase the investment in sports infrastructure and support systems. This will help make new advanced training facilities and improved resources for para-athletes in India.

Swapnil Kusale, this name has become immortal in the history of Indian sports. Swapnil created history by winning a bronze in the men's 50m Rifle 3P event at the Paris Olympics 2024, becoming the only Olympic medal winner in this category. Today the country is saluting Swapnil Kusale but do you know he is actually an MS Dhoni fan and has been a ticket collector in the past himself?

Also Read: India At Paris Olympics 2024 Day 6 (August 1) LIVE Updates | Swapnil Kusale wins Bronze in Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions; Nikhat Zareen

Swapnil said that he gets inspiration from cricket legend MS Dhoni as both of them were railway ticket collectors in their early career. "I love how MS Dhoni stays calm under pressure. I always wanted to bring that to my game." 

Swapnil Kusale on Ms Dhoni 💙👏#Paris2024Olympics #ParisOlympics2024 #ParisOlympics #SwapnilKusale #msdhoni pic.twitter.com/Y4C2ZeAbv5

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) August 1, 2024

Made Olympic debut after 12 years

Kusale, who won the third medal for the country, has been participating in international competitions since 2012, but he had to wait for 12 more years to make his debut at the Olympics. It is very important to be calm and patient for shooting, and these qualities are also found in abundance in MS Dhoni. So it's no surprise that Kusale feels connected to Dhoni's life story.

'I admire Dhoni for the person that he is'

"I don't follow anyone specific in the shooting world. Outside of that, I admire Dhoni for the person that he is. My sport requires me to be as calm and patient as he is on the field. I also relate to his story as I am a ticket collector like he was," Kusale after winning the bronze at the men's 50m Rifle 3P event. 

From Railway Ticket Collector to Global Pride: Swapnil Kusale's Journey.

Swapnil Kusale's story is similar to MS Dhoni's. 🤩💙🇮🇳#Msdhoni #SwapnilKusale #Paris2024 #OlympicGames #ParisOlympics2024 pic.twitter.com/lItrDUNsHr

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) August 1, 2024

Kusale, who is 'cool' like Dhoni, watched the film 'MS Dhoni The Untold Story' made on the World Cup-winning cricket captain several times.

Kusale's performance towards bronze

Swapnil Kusale made it to the finals with a total score of 590. He scored 198 in kneeling, 197 in prone and 195 in standing. On Thursday too, Kusale lived up to millions of expectations of India and won a medal for the country.

At one point in the finals, Kusale had slipped to sixth place. But instead of disintegrating under pressure, the Indian shooter raised his game. He slowly started rising in the tally. For some time, Swapnil was seen stuck at number five. After this, he came at number four and then reached number three.

Kusale won the bronze with 451.4 points. China's Liu Yukun won gold with 463.6 points. Ukraine's shooter Serhiy Kulish (461.3), who was facing the horrors of war, won the silver medal.

Also Read: All Indian shooters to win Olympic medal

First medal in shooting came in 2004

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the first medal in shooting for India in the Olympics in 2004. He won this medal in the Athens Olympics. However, Indian shooters have compensated for the failure of the last few years by winning 3 medals in the Paris Olympics. Now if one gold comes then it will be icing on the cake.