A strong start was witnessed in the first day of the World Shooting Championships (Doha 2026), which qualifies for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, at the Lusail Arena Complex, with the participation of about 1,100 male and female shooters representing 92 countries, in a global gathering that includes an elite group of world and Olympic champions.
The first day witnessed the holding of the final of the 50-meter pistol competition for men in the individual and team categories, and the final of the 10-meter air rifle competition for men and women (Olympic competition).
In the men’s individual 50-meter pistol competition, Anton Aristarkhov (under a neutral flag) won the gold medal, Indian Ravinder Singh won the silver medal, and Romanian Luca Goldia won the bronze medal. In the 50-meter pistol competition for the men’s team category, the Indian team won the gold medal, the Chinese team won the silver medal, and the Korean team won the bronze medal.
In the women’s 50-meter pistol competition, Turkey’s Tarhan Iliada won the gold medal, Armenia’s Almira Karapetyan won the silver medal, and Kazakh Irina Yunusmutova won the bronze medal.
At the end of the competition, Mr. Luciano Rossi, President of the International Shooting Federation, and Mr. Jassim Shaheen Al-Sulaiti, Tournament Director, crowned the winners of the first three places.
As for the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition, Chinese shooter Xing Lihao won the gold medal, his compatriot won the silver medal, and Croatian Miran Maricic came in third place, winning the bronze medal.
As for the men’s 10-meter air rifle competition, the Chinese team won the gold medal, the Croatian team won the silver medal, and the Norway team won the bronze medal.
Aside from the medal competition, the men’s 10-meter air rifle final carried additional importance, as it was the stage that witnessed the determination of the first Olympic qualification tickets for the World Championship competitions in Doha, and the qualifier for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
China, Croatia, and Slovakia were able to obtain the first qualifying cards for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, as the three tickets were won by the Chinese Lihao Shang, the Croatian Miran Maricek, and the Slovakian Patrik Jani.
In the women’s individual 10-meter air rifle competition, Korean Pan Hyojin won the gold medal, ahead of Chinese Han Jiao, who came in second place, the other Chinese Wang Zhifei won the bronze medal, and Frenchwoman Mueller Ocien came in fourth place.
Regarding the qualification cards for the Los Angeles Olympics, the Korean Pan Hyojin, the Chinese Han Jiao, and the Frenchman Muller Ossian all won the three tickets.
As for the women’s 10-meter air rifle competition, the Chinese team won the gold medal, the Indian team won the silver medal, and the Japanese team won the bronze medal.
The World Shooting Championship competitions continue today, with the final of the 10-meter air rifle competition for mixed teams and the final of the 25-meter rapid pistol competition for men’s singles, amid anticipation for more world titles and Olympic qualification cards in the tournament.
Masoud Al-Athba: Our team is ready, and good luck to us
Masoud Al-Athba, head of the shotgun apparatus at the Qatar Archery and Archery Federation, confirmed the readiness of the Qatari team’s shooters to compete in the World Shooting Championship, noting that the team prepared well to take on this global challenge, amid great ambitions to achieve achievements and ascend to the podiums.
Al-Athba said: “Our Qatari team is ready to compete, and we will have success, God willing. We are facing a strong tournament that will witness the participation of an elite group of the most prominent shooters in the world, and everyone came to the field in order to compete for gold medals and reserve qualification tickets to the Los Angeles Olympic Games.”
He added: “We have great confidence in the team’s shooters, and we know the size of the competition and the strength of the participating teams, but our team is ready and has the ambition and determination to provide the best levels. We hope that the Qatari participation will be successful and that we will be able to achieve gold and Olympic qualification, which reflects the development of the Qatari shooting sport and its position on the international arena.”
International referee Abdullah Al Hammadi: All referees are qualified and carry international badges
Lecturer and international referee Abdullah Al-Hammadi, Chairman of the Referees Committee, shotgun ranges within the World Championship for Shotgun, Rifle and Pistol Shooting, confirmed the readiness of the refereeing team to manage the championship competitions, noting that the organizing committee provided an elite group of experienced and competent international referees, ensuring that the competitions are managed according to the highest technical and arbitration standards.
Al-Hammadi explained that the crew includes five main referees appointed by the International Federation, representing Iran, Peru and Germany, in addition to the Qatari referee Saud Al-Qahtani, in addition to the participation of invited referees from the Gulf countries, specifically Saudi Arabia and the UAE, bringing the total number to 15 referees in the shooting ranges only, all of whom are qualified, hold international badges and have extensive experience in managing shooting competitions.
Regarding the chances of Qatari and Arab shooters in the competitions, Al-Hammadi said: “To be honest, the competition seems difficult in the rifle and pistol competitions, in light of the presence of advanced schools such as India and China, which preceded many Arab countries in this field. But in the shotgun competitions, thank God, our chances appear strong, especially in the skeet and trap competitions, where we have elements capable of competing and achieving positive results.”