New Delhi, Nov. 12 -- Rifle marksman Niraj Kumar earned India its second quota for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics on Wednesday, shooting a bronze medal in the 50m 3 Positions event at the World Championships in Doha. The 26-year-old from Hoshiarpur, Punjab shot 346.5 in the final to claim his first individual Worlds medal. He finished behind Individual Neutral Athlete (AIN) Dmitrii Pimenov, who won gold with a world junior record score of 362.8, and Slovakia's Patrik Jany, who took silver with 357.2. Pimenov and Niraj won LA quotas but the third quota went to Norway's Jon-Hermann Hegg, who was fourth (335.9). Jany didn't get the LA spot because under the Olympic qualification rules, an athlete can secure only one quota place for their NOC and the Slovakian had already secured a quota in the 10m rifle event. It is India's second Olympic quota, after Jaypal Malviya earned one with his 10m air pistol silver. Niraj was in contention for silver before a 9.4 on his 34th shot pushed him to third. Compatriot Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, a two-time Olympian, finished fifth with 323.7. India also won the team bronze, with Niraj, Aishwary and Akhil Sheoran combining for 1,751 in the elimination round. They missed silver by a solitary point as Norway finished second (1,752) and the Czech Republic first (1,754). Niraj was in fine form in the qualification round, shooting an impressive 591 to top the standings. In the final, the Navy shooter kept his calm and maintained a steady tempo in the high-intensity contest. Placed fifth in the eight-man final after the opening kneeling series, Niraj crept up to second after 30 shots before the slip-up in the penultimate competition shot. "That blip apart, Niraj shot exceptionally well. We are very happy with his performance," national rifle coach Manoj Kumar told HT from Doha. "The 50m discipline has a lot to do with conditions, and they were tough in the elimination stages (on Tuesday) as well as in the qualification and final rounds," he added, referring to the windy conditions at the range. "For perspective, the wind in Delhi's Karni Singh Shooting Range where we train is usually around 6-7 knots. Here, it was around 16-17 knots." The next goal, the coach said, is to achieve consistency. "This medal should open the floodgates for Niraj because he has the potential to be world-class."...