Sports

Pritam Kendre becomes junior air rifle world champion at ISSF Junior Worlds

Sunday, 21 June 2026 5 min readSource: The Indian ExpressArticle 8 of 13

Sixteen-year-old Indian shooter Pritam Kendre became the junior air rifle world champion by winning the 10m air rifle gold at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026 in Suhl, Germany, on June 21, 2026. The title added to a strong Indian campaign at the championship, where India's tally reached around 11 medals including five golds. Kendre, who idolises Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, had qualified for the final and produced a composed performance to top the podium in one of shooting's blue-riband junior events.

Key Facts & Details

8 points

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Pritam Kendre (16) won 10m air rifle gold at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026.
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The championship was held in Suhl, Germany.
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The win made him the junior air rifle world champion (June 21, 2026).
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India's tally at the event rose to around 11 medals, including five golds.
5
Kendre cites Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra as his inspiration.

Deep Dive

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The 10m air rifle is a core Olympic shooting event, also contested at junior level.
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India has emerged as a leading force in junior shooting in recent years.
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ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) governs world shooting competitions.

Exam Focus

Who won the 10m air rifle gold (junior world champion) at the ISSF Junior World Championship 2026?

Exam Relevance & Angle

Individual world-title wins — the athlete, event and venue — are clean exam hooks; India's shooting medals are a recurring GA theme across banking, SSC and railway exams.

Target Exams

SBI POIBPS POSSC CGLSSC CHSLRRB NTPCUPSC CSEState PCS

Background & Context

The ISSF Junior World Championship is the premier global shooting competition for junior athletes, organised by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). The 10m air rifle is one of shooting's flagship events, contested at the Olympics and across age groups; shooters fire pellets at a tiny target from 10 metres, with finals decided by cumulative scores. India has built a deep junior shooting pipeline that regularly tops medal tables, feeding into senior Olympic and Asian/Commonwealth Games squads. Suhl, in Germany, is a historic centre of shooting sport and has hosted major championships.