Prachi was the only Indian to qualify for the junior women’s 3P final at the Olympic International City Shooting range.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Prachi Gaikwad struck gold on Thursday, winning the junior women’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event at the ongoing ISSF shooting Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun in Cairo, Egypt, firing 354.6 in the final to overcome Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Darya Chuprys who shot 354.4.

Another AIN shooter Elena Kretinina, won bronze with a score of 343.3, exiting the 35-shot final after the 34th shot. Naraen Pranav also won bronze in the junior men’s 10m air rifle with a score of 229.5 in the final.

This was India’s second gold of the competition after Shiva Narwal had won the men’s 10m air pistol event on the opening day of competitions on Tuesday. With four silver and three bronze also in their kitty, the country returns to the top of the medal tally.

Prachi was the only Indian to qualify for the junior women’s 3P final at the Olympic International City Shooting range. She took sixth spot with a score of 578 and then began the final placing fifth after the first 10 shots in the Kneeling position. 

Thereafter she surged to second after the Prone round and was just 0.6 behind Darya, who was leading at that stage. With a 50+ return on the first five shots of the final Standing position, she shot into the lead for the first time in the match.

But Darya found a second wind and fired a 51.0 over the next five, as Prachi missed the 10-ring four times, going down to third momentarily with the last five shots remaining.

The minor setback did not deter the Indian as she delivered when it mattered most, hitting the 10-ring four times, including two high 10s, to clinch it from Darya by a margin of 0.2.

Vanshika Chaudhary, Sejal Kamble and Kanak, have also made the junior women’s 10m air pistol final, with scores of 579, 577 and 576, giving them the top three spots on the leaderboard.

Published on Apr 23, 2026