Sift Kaur Samra Clinches Bronze in Munich as Arjun Babuta Falls Short

Sift Kaur Samra, India’s 23-year-old shooting star, added another medal to her growing list of achievements. On Thursday, she won a bronze medal at the Munich World Cup, two months after her first senior gold medal in Buenos Aires. Competing in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Sift scored 453.1 in the final. She finished behind Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad (466.9) and Switzerland’s 16-year-old Emely Jaeggi (464.8).

The final was challenging. After the kneeling and prone rounds, Sift was behind the top two and also behind USA’s Sagen Maddalena, who had won silver at the Paris Olympics. But Sift is known for her strength in the Standing position. She used that skill to catch up with Maddalena and then overtook her. Her four strong shots above 10 in the final Standing round helped her move up to third.

Unfortunately, the points she had lost earlier couldn’t be recovered completely, and she had to settle for bronze after the 44th shot. Still, the performance confirmed her consistency on the world stage.

This medal is also India’s second in the Munich World Cup, one of the toughest international shooting events. The first was won by Elavenil Valarivan, who also took bronze in the women’s 10m air rifle.

Sift was the only Indian in the eight-woman final. Her compatriot Ashi Chouksey came close but missed qualifying by just two points, finishing 11th with a score of 589. Chouksey, a bronze medallist at the Asian Games, had a good inner-10 count of 34, showing her strong form.

India’s Anjum Moudgil and Nischal were competing only for ranking points (RPO). Moudgil finished 27th with a score of 586, while Nischal was 60th among 70 shooters. Another Indian, Shriyanka Sadangi, ended in the 53rd spot.

Babuta and men's team falter

India had high hopes from the men’s 10m air rifle shooters, but the results were disappointing. Not a single Indian shooter made it to the final.

Umamahesh Maddineni, competing for RPO, gave the best performance among the Indians, finishing seventh in qualification with a score of 632.3. However, since he wasn’t competing for medals, the result didn’t help India in the medal tally.

Kiran Jadhav also came very close, scoring 631.7. He missed the final by just 0.1 points, ending up in 11th place. Arjun Babuta, who represented India in the Paris Olympics, performed far below expectations. He used a new version of his Walther rifle but couldn’t get good results. He scored only 629.1 and finished in the 43rd position.

Before the competition, Babuta had said that he was focusing on improving his technique, tactics, and equipment rather than results. He had told reporters that this period was for “experimenting and enjoying the sport.”

Sandeep Singh, another Indian shooter, did not perform well either. He ended up in 53rd place with a score of 628.3.

Russia’s Ilia Marsov, competing as a neutral athlete due to international restrictions, won gold with a score of 252.3. Norwegian shooter Jon-Hermann Hegg claimed silver with 252 points. Chinese Olympic champion Lihao Sheng settled for bronze with 230.2.

Despite the weak performance from the men’s rifle shooters, India’s overall campaign has had some positives. With two medals — both bronzes — the team has managed to stay competitive in the tough Munich field.

Sift’s medal especially stands out. Her recent consistency — gold in Buenos Aires followed by bronze in Munich — shows that she’s on the right track for the Paris Olympics later this year. Her ability to stay calm under pressure and fight back in difficult situations is becoming her trademark.

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The shooting competition in Munich is seen as one of the most important events before the Olympics, with many top names participating. That makes Sift’s podium finish even more impressive.

Going forward, the Indian shooting squad needs to focus on refining its performances, especially in the men’s events. Shooters like Babuta, Jadhav, and Maddineni have potential, but turning that into podium finishes will require more consistent execution under pressure.

In women’s events, rising stars like Ashi Chouksey and experienced hands like Anjum Moudgil can offer strong depth if they work on closing tight qualification margins. The federation may also want to review how the ranking point system is helping or limiting the team’s medal count.

For now, Sift Kaur Samra’s bronze offers a ray of hope and pride, while the men’s team has some tough questions to answer ahead of the next international outing.