ISSF WC: 16-Year-Old Anish Bhanwala Finishes 5th in 25m Rapid Fire

The 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event was stripped of its Olympic quotas after the denial of visas to Pakistani shooters.

Anish Bhanwala during a practice session ahead of the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.

(Photo: Abhishek Ranjan/The Quint)

Indian shooter Anish Bhanwala’s bid to win a medal on his maiden senior World Cup appearance fell short after he finished fifth in the 25 metre Rapid Fire Pistol final at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi on Tuesday, 26 February.

The 16-year-old prodigy, who blasted into the spotlight by becoming India’s youngest-ever individual gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games last year, was the second entrant eliminated in the six-man final , having hit 14 out of 20 targets from his first four sequences.

Anish had qualified for the final in fifth position, with a score of 588 – the only Indian to do so with Adarsh Singh and Arpit Goel failing to make the cut.

The 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event had been stripped of its Olympic quota places following the denial of visas to two Pakistani shooters.

The ‘Controversial’ Event

The holding of the category had been a contentious subject days ahead of the year’s first World Cup. The Indian High Commission’s decision to deny the Pakistan contingent visas in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack backfired on the hosts with the IOC suspending “all discussions regarding potential applications for hosting future sports and Olympic-related events in India” with the Indian government.

After demands from Pakistan, who were due to be represented by GM Bashir and Khalil Ahmed, the IOC revoked the Olympic qualifier status of the event – meaning no spots for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics could be sealed at the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol final.

No Medal, Lot of Promise

For someone who only turned 16 four months ago, Anish’s medal cabinet is already a rather swelled one – and while he exited at least two places too early for the liking of a full-house at New Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, the teenager didn’t appear to be fazed by the situation.

Anish Bhanwala: Roll of Honour

• Junior World Champion, Standard Pistol, 2017 (Suhl)
• Junior World Cup winner, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Sydney 2018
• Gold Medallist, 25m Rapid Fire Pistol, Commonwealth Games 2018
• Junior World-Record Holder, Standard Pistol

Anish Bhanwala during a practice session ahead of the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.(Photo: Abhishek Ranjan/The Quint)

The composure was on display when Anish got past the first elimination hurdle during Tuesday’s final. After three rounds of shooting, the Indian found himself level at the basement of the standings with Frenchman Clement Bessaguet.

Up against a World Cup gold medallist from Guadalajara 2018 – and someone 11 years his senior – Anish dealt with the nerves better to win the shoot-off 4-3 and stay alive in the competition.

He couldn’t carry on his improbable bid, though – and paid the price for a below-par fourth sequence, where he only hit two of his five targets.

Reigning Olympic champion Christian Reitz of Germany went on to win the title with a score of 35/40, a full four points clear of China’s Junmin Lin – the current world champion.