Yugan Sakthivel Muthukumaar Secures Gold at ISSF Junior World Cup in Italy
Yugan Sakthivel Muthukumaar Triumphs
Indian shooter Yugan Sakthivel Muthukumaar achieved a remarkable victory by winning the gold medal in the men's trap event at the ISSF Junior World Cup Shotgun 2026, held in Porpetto, Italy, on Friday. The 15-year-old showcased an impressive performance during the final, hitting 27 out of 30 targets, narrowly defeating Italy's Francesco Tanfoglio by just one target, marking India's first medal at this event.
Men's Trap Qualification and Results
Yugan qualified for the final in sixth place with a score of 114 out of 125, securing his position in the medal round after a successful shoot-off. Other Indian competitors in the men's trap qualification included Arjun and Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat, who finished 12th and 13th with scores of 112, while Udhav Singh Rathore placed 16th with a score of 111.
Women's Trap Event Performance
In the women's trap event, junior Asian champion Sabeera Haris was the only Indian shooter to reach the final. She qualified for the medal round by finishing sixth in the qualification round with a score of 108/125, also through a shoot-off. Unfortunately, Sabeera could not secure a medal, finishing sixth after hitting nine out of 15 targets. Bhavya Tripathi and Krishika Joshi narrowly missed the final, both scoring 105 and finishing ninth and tenth, respectively.
Overview of the Competition
Earlier in the competition, Indian shooters did not win any medals in the men's and women's junior skeet events, with no participants advancing to the finals. The Porpetto event is the second junior ISSF World Cup of the year, following the first tournament in Cairo, Egypt, in April, where India topped the medal tally with 16 medals, including five golds, six silvers, and five bronzes. The only shotgun medal at that event was a mixed trap bronze won by Zuhair Khan and Addya Katyal.
The tournament will conclude on Saturday with the junior mixed team trap event, which is the last medal event of the competition.