Naraen Pranav and Mukesh Nelavalli among 11 Indian athletes to win medals at ISSF Junior World Cup 2025

Khel Today Bureau

New Delhi: Indian athletes shone brightly at the 2025 ISSF Junior World Cup, winning a total of 11 medals- three gold, four silver and four bronze medals. A 57-member Indian contingent was sent to the tournament which was held in Suhl, Germany from 19-27 May, of which eight athletes trained at the Gun for Glory academy, run by Gagan Narang Sports Foundation.

Two promising athletes from the academy- Naraen Pranav and Mukesh Nelavalli made the nation proud and returned with medals. Naraen won a silver and a bronze in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Junior Team event and 10m Air Rifle Junior Men event respectively whereas Mukesh grabbed a bronze medal in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Junior Men’s event. Another athlete Anushka Thokur successfully made it to the finals of the 50m 3P Junior Women’s event but finished 7th in the finals.

All the eight athletes from the academy, who represented India at the tournament, trained under GNSPF’s Flagship Program Project Leap, a sponsored project that aims to inculcate holistic improvement in selected athletes, targeting technical, physical and mental aspects of the sport.

On winning two medals in the tournament, Naraen Pranav expressed his happiness and stated, “It feels great and is definitely a major moment in my career so far. Just being able to represent the country on such a global stage is a great honor and to return with a medal makes it even more special. I would like to thank my coaches at the Gun for Glory academy and mentor Gagan Narang sir for guiding me at every step, because of which I was able to win these two medals”, he said.

The 2012 London Olympics bronze medalist Gagan Narang also expressed his pride in the achievements of the academy’s athletes and said, “We are extremely proud of these youngsters who made the entire nation stand tall at the ISSF Junior World Cup. This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication and resilience they have put in their training all these years. Our academy aims to continue building many more such athletes and ensuring that the future of Indian shooting is in safe hands.”