India's shooting contingent has received a major boost ahead of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, with Niraj Kumar securing an Olympic quota place after winning bronze in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, Qatar.The 26-year-old delivered a composed performance in the final on Wednesday, finishing third with 346.5 points to claim his maiden individual medal at the World Championships. The achievement also earned India a quota place for the upcoming Summer Games, taking the country's tally at the competition to two.Dmitrii Pimenov, competing as an Individual Neutral Athlete, won the gold medal, while Slovakia's Patrik Jany settled for silver.

Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg finished fourth and secured the third available Olympic quota in the event, as Jany had already earned one for his country.

Niraj Kumar ends wait for maiden individual World Championships medal

The bronze medal marks a significant breakthrough for Niraj, who has consistently featured among India's promising rifle shooters. Despite reaching the final of major international competitions on previous occasions, an individual World Championships medal had remained elusive.

His performance in Doha finally brought that long-awaited achievement.Niraj also contributed to India's bronze medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions team event alongside Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran. The Indian trio finished with a combined score of 1,751 points.

Czechia claimed the team gold, while Norway secured silver.

India secure second shooting quota for LA 2028 Olympics

Niraj's performance added another Olympic quota to India's shooting tally at the ongoing World Championships.

Earlier, Jaypal Malviya had secured India's first quota place after winning silver in the men's 10m air pistol event.The qualification places India in a stronger position as the shooting contingent begins its preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. However, the quota place is allocated to India and does not guarantee Niraj an automatic selection for the Games. The final decision on the participating shooter will be taken by the Indian shooting authorities closer to the Olympics.