Indian Shooter Yugan Muthukumaar Claims Gold at ISSF Junior World Cup

Indian shooter Yugan Sakthivel Muthukumaar secured a gold medal in the men's trap event at the ISSF Junior World Cup Shotgun 2026 in Porpetto, Italy, on Friday. The 15-year-old athlete hit 27 of 30 targets in the final, finishing one target ahead of Italy's Francesco Tanfoglio. This achievement marked India's first medal at the Porpetto competition.

Muthukumaar advanced to the eight-shooter final in sixth place, having scored 114 out of 125 targets in qualification. He secured his spot in the medal round following a shoot-off, demonstrating a strong competitive edge against other international junior athletes.

Other Indian Shooters Miss Qualification

Other Indian participants in the men's trap qualification, Arjun and Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat, both scored 112, placing 12th and 13th respectively. Udhav Singh Rathore finished 16th with a score of 111. These scores were insufficient for final qualification among the top eight.

Haris Reaches Women's Final

Junior Asian champion Sabeera Haris was the only Indian representative to qualify for the women's trap final. She progressed to the medal round after finishing sixth in qualification with 108 out of 125 targets, also via a shoot-off. Haris ultimately placed sixth in the final, hitting nine of 15 targets, but did not secure a medal.

Bhavya Tripathi and Krishika Joshi both scored 105 in the women's qualification round. They narrowly missed a final spot, finishing ninth and 10th respectively. Earlier in the tournament, India did not win any medals in the men's and women's junior skeet events, as no Indian shooter reached either final.

Second Junior World Cup Event

The Porpetto event represents the second junior ISSF World Cup of 2026. The initial tournament, held in Cairo, Egypt, in April, featured rifle, pistol, and shotgun disciplines. India topped the medal tally in Cairo with 16 medals, including five gold, six silver, and five bronze. Zuhair Khan and Addya Katyal's mixed trap bronze was India's sole shotgun medal from that event. The Porpetto competition will conclude with the junior mixed team trap event on Saturday.