India’s junior shooting squad returned with a haul of 11 medals from the recently concluded 27th meeting of the Shooting Hopes, an international shooting competition for future stars in the rifle and pistol disciplines, held annually at the Czech city of Plzen. India won a total of three gold, four silver and four bronze medals.
The four-day competition saw 459 athletes take part from 23 different countries in a total of 14 rifle and pistol events.
Anmol Jain, who recently took part in his first senior International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup stage in Munich, was the most successful Indian on show, winning a team gold and a team silver in the junior men’s 10 metre air pistol and 50 m pistol events respectively while also bagging an individual silver in the 50 m pistol event.
Anhad Jawanda also won the only individual gold medal for the contingent in the 25 metre pistol for junior men.
Among other notable performers were Arjun Babuta in the junior men’s 10 m air rifle, who won silver with a final round score of 249 and a qualification score of 623.9. He lost out to eventual gold medallist Evgeniy Ishchenko of Russia by half a point in the final. Among others he beat in the finals was 2016 Baku World Cup gold medallist and home favourite Filip Nepejchal.
Other noteworthy performances came from Saurabh Chaudhary in the junior men’s 10 m air pistol and Anish in the junior men’s 25 m rapid fire pistol event. Both won individual bronze medals.