Shooting
Varun Tomar crowned 10m Air Pistol national champion, Saurabh finishes 5th
Varun Tomar wins gold in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the National Shooting Championship 2025, beating Pradhyumn Singh by 0.8 points.
Shooter Varun Tomar
Indian Shooter Varun Tomar, representing the Army, has emerged victorious in the 67th National Shooting Championship in the men’s 10m air pistol event held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, New Delhi, on Sunday.
With a stellar performance in the finals, Varun clinched the title with a total score of 238.0, narrowly edging out his Army teammate Pradhyumn Singh, who finished second with 237.2 points.
The competition saw a mix of seasoned shooters and rising stars, but it was Varun who maintained his composure to claim the national title. Aakash Bhardwaj from Rajasthan completed the podium with a total of 217.4, securing the third position
Former world No. 1 and multiple ISSF World Cup medallist Saurabh Chaudhary, who represented Railways, could not replicate his qualification success in the final and finished in fifth position with a total of 175.8. Saurabh, who had earlier set a national record of 591 during the qualification rounds, was unable to maintain the same rhythm in the high-pressure final.
The final lineup included three Army shooters – Varun Tomar, Pradhyumn Singh, and Parmod – showcasing the dominance of the Army in this category.
The competition also highlighted the depth of talent in Indian shooting, with 1,339 marksmen competing in the qualification rounds.
Heading into the finals, Saurabh Chaudhary was one of the favourites, having finished the qualifications on top and holding the national record of 591.
Varun Tomar, who qualified third with 585, was among the challengers alongside Pradhyumn Singh and Parmod, both of whom also made it to the junior finals.
The youth final saw a Uttar Pradesh 1-2 when Chirag Sharma overcame the 14-year-old cynosure of all eyes Dev Pratap by a margin of 1.3 after 24 shots. Chirag finished with 241.8. Rajasthan’s Mayank Choudhary won the bronze medal.
Haryana, Rajasthan and Maharashtra are holding the first, second and third positions on the medal tally at the Pistol nationals with 23, 22 and 13 golds respectively.
