Jaypal Malviya wins silver at ISSF World Championships, seals India's first LA 2028 Olympic quota

Jaypal Malviya won a silver medal in the men's 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Championships in Doha on Thursday, sealing India's very first quota place for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.

The shooter from Madhya Pradesh produced a steady display across the eight-man final, registering 242.2 points to take second place behind China's Kai Hu, who took gold with 243.9. Jindrich Dubovy of Czechia claimed the bronze medal with 220.9 points.

ISSF World Championships men's 10m air pistol podium

Malviya had made the final in third spot after shooting 585 across six qualification series. He endured an uneven beginning to the medal round, hitting a 9.2 on his second shot in the opening five-shot sequence. He recovered immediately with a 10.6 on his fifth shot to reach 50.5 points, holding third position.

He dropped briefly to fourth following the 10-shot stage on a total of 100.0, as Dubovy edged ahead on 100.5 while Chinese pair Hu and Yu Xie set the pace. Malviya responded under pressure, firing back-to-back shots of 10.7 to trim the deficit to Hu down to 0.5 points.

A 9.7 in the latter stages widened the gap to 0.9 points, but another 10.7 kept him firmly on the podium and pushed him clear into second place before Hu closed out the victory.

The path from domestic trials to the Olympic cycle

Malviya's breakthrough in Doha reflects the growing depth of Indian shooting, underpinned by structured domestic competition and sustained support from national sporting schemes.

He first came to prominence at the 2026 National Selection Trials at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, where he recovered from qualifying seventh to take gold in Trial 1 with a final score of 245.6. He subsequently gained overseas experience at the 2026 ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, placing ninth in qualification on 585.

After stepping off the podium in Doha, Malviya praised the backing he had received across India's sporting ecosystem.

"The environment is great. The crowd was very loud and motivated me," Malviya said. "I would like to thank the federation, SAI, OGQ and the MP and Indian government. I am grateful to Samaresh Jung sir. I feel great that I could bring the quota and medal to the country."

With four years to run before the Los Angeles Games begin, Malviya's podium finish puts India onto the Olympic scoreboard early and gives the national pistol squad a firm foundation for the qualification cycle.