Seventeen-year-old Kanak Budhwar created history by winning India’s first gold medal at the 2025 ISSF Junior World Cup held in Suhl, Germany. She topped the women’s 10m air pistol event with a score of 239.0, outshooting European champion and Olympian Anna Dulce of Moldova. This victory marks a major milestone in India’s shooting sports and Kanak’s budding career.

Key Points:

• Kanak Budhwar won gold in the women’s 10m air pistol event, defeating Moldova’s Anna Dulce by 1.7 points.
• This is India’s first gold medal at the 2025 ISSF Junior World Cup, held in Suhl, Germany.
• Kanak hails from Sunaria village in Rohtak, Haryana, and began training in shooting five years ago.
• Initially starting with rifles, she transitioned to pistol shooting under coach Sandeep Nehra due to physical suitability.
• Her focused training involved balancing drills and the use of the SCATT system to refine her accuracy and technique.