(Sports News) Divyansh Singh Panwar, at last year’s Asian Games in Hangzhou, he observed from the sidelines as China’s Sheng Lihao clinched the 10m air rifle championship with a world record score of 253.3. Only two Indian shooters were eligible for the final, with Panwar trailing compatriots Rudrankksh Patil and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar.
However, on Sunday at the ISSF World Cup in Cairo, the 21-year-old Panwar surpassed Lihao’s world record, achieving a final score of 253.7.
“Entering the final, I was confident about the process and technique, and my aim was to focus on my scores and shooting. It feels good to see the hard training reaping dividends,” Panwar shared with ISSF TV. Hailing from Rajasthan, where his father, Ashok Panwar, serves as a senior nursing staff at the Sawai Man Singh Medical College, Panwar gained prominence with multiple medals at the ISSF Junior World Cups in 2019.
He secured a Tokyo Olympics quota place with a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in China. In the subsequent two years, he became the 10m air rifle champion at the ISSF World Cup final in Putian, won a bronze at the ISSF World Cup in Delhi, and clinched an Asian Championships gold.
Despite facing disappointment at the Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 32nd despite earlier being ranked world number one, Panwar took a break and underwent a vipassana course in Rishikesh to gather his thoughts. Upon returning, he became the junior and senior national champion four months after the setback.
With changes in his back-bending position and adjusting to a new rifle, Panwar returned to compete, often participating in the Ranking Points Only (RPO) category in World Cups. His recent triumph in Cairo, topping the qualification with a score of 632.4 and securing the gold medal with a world record in the final, reflects his dedication and resilience.
“He had a sound technique right from his junior days. During the last one year, we worked on some of the technicalities of his shooting apart from instilling the belief of being a world-beater once again in his mind. He shot with a free mind today, and that’s what we want,” said Indian team’s rifle coach Suma Shirur.
While currently ranked fourth in the national rankings, Panwar aims to be in the top five for the Paris Olympics trials later this year, facing healthy competition with shooters like Rudrankksh Patil, Arjun Babuta, and Aishwary Singh Tomar in the Indian team. This intense competition serves as motivation for each of these ambitious shooters.
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