ISSF Junior World Shooting Champion Pritam Kendre Receives Grand Welcome in Pune
Pune, 29th June 2026: Pritam Kendre, who was crowned the ISSF Junior World Shooting Champion after winning the gold medal at the ISSF Junior World Shooting Championship held in Germany last week, received a grand welcome on his return to Pune. The felicitation ceremony was held at the Aundh centre of the Gun For Glory Shooting Academy, an initiative of the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation.
On the occasion, Pawan Singh, Secretary General of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and Director of the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation, welcomed and felicitated Pritam for his outstanding achievement. Pritam’s coaches, Kiran Khandare and Shubham Patil, were also felicitated during the ceremony. The event was attended by Parameshwar Tupasmindre, Manager of Gun For Glory Shooting Academy; Radhika Deshmukh, Manager of Project Leap; foreign coach Uwe Knapp; and Pritam’s parents, Priyadarshini Kendre and Tukaram Kendre.
Last week, at the ISSF Junior World Shooting Championship organised by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) in Suhl, Germany, 16-year-old shooter Pritam Kendre from Pune delivered a remarkable performance to clinch the gold medal. By winning the top honour at one of the world’s most prestigious junior shooting competitions, Pritam has brought laurels not only to India but also to Pune on the global stage.
Notably, this was only Pritam’s second appearance in an international competition. Despite having very limited international exposure, he displayed exceptional composure and determination to secure the gold medal.
Competing in the 10 Metre Air Rifle event, Pritam scored 628.2 points in the qualification round to advance to the final. He then registered 251.3 points in the final to claim the gold medal. The championship witnessed participation from over 800 shooters representing 66 countries.
Pritam, who is a part of the Mission Lakshyavedh initiative of the Government of Maharashtra, has been training for the past four years at the Gun For Glory Shooting Academy, located at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Mhalunge-Balewadi, Pune. Pritam’s journey is truly inspiring. Every day, he travels from Alandi in the early hours of the morning to reach the academy by 7:00 a.m. for practice. Balancing school, shooting training, and physical conditioning, he follows a demanding routine and returns home late at night.
