Sift Kaur Samra showcased impressive form on Thursday, securing a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Cup. The 23-year-old also holds the world record in this event, a feat she achieved while clinching the gold medal at the 2022 Asian Games.
Sift Kaur Samra secured the bronze medal with a score of 453.1 in the eight-player final. Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad clinched the gold with 466.9, while Switzerland’s Emely Jaeggi earned silver with a score of 464.8.
Samra had initially been tied for third place with American shooter Sagen Maddalena, both recording 411.6 points at one stage.
In an interview with The Indian Express, Samra shared, “Yes, I was aware that both Maddalena and I were tied after the first elimination series. Up until that point, I had been in fourth place, with the top three remaining unchanged. I knew a medal was within reach. At the time, I didn’t know Maddalena was the Paris Olympics silver medallist.”
“Although we’ve competed in several finals before, missing out on the Paris final made me indifferent to who won the medal. Regardless, the responsibility was on me to perform. I’m happy to have taken a medal at the Munich World Cup, just like last year.”
Commenting on Samra’s technique, national rifle coach Deepali Deshpande noted, “Since kneeling is the first position, many shooters feel nervous or take time to adjust to the wind. Early in her career, Sift took time to master this position, but she has worked hard on it. Despite today’s final being held in a closed range, she demonstrated excellent form.”
Deshpande added, “We’ve focused on reducing unnecessary movement between shots and minimizing head motion during loading and unloading while kneeling. We’re also refining her sling balance. While finals will focus solely on the standing position from 2026 onwards, kneeling will still play a key role in the qualification stage.”
