New Delhi, Nov. 11 -- Samrat Rana, the 20-year-old pistol shooter competing in his maiden world championships, created tremors in the shooting world as he sensationally won India's first gold medal in 10m air pistol, beating Hu Kai -- the most dominant Chinese shooter of the year. Rana was competing in his first senior international final and was up against a stellar field including Olympic and world champions but the shooter from Karnal (Haryana), who topped the qualification earlier, showed no nerves even when Hu was breathing down his neck during the pulsating final and with the title on line. Rana, ahead of Kai by just 0.6 points and with the final shot to go, pulled the trigger for a stunning 10.6 under pressure to seal the title. Hu shot a 10.8 but it was not enough. Rana's total score was 243.7 and Hu fell short by just 0.4 points. There was double delight for India as Paris Olympian Varun Tomar too finished on the podium winning bronze with 221.7 points. "I still can't believe it," said Rana after his victory. "I think it's a happy hunting ground for me. I won two medals here in Cairo at the junior world championships in 2022. I like the ambience. I was just trying to focus on my technique in every shot towards the end." Hu has been incredibly dominant this season. The Chinese was undefeated in 2025 across all four ISSF World Cup events in the men's 10m air pistol, besides his title at the Asian Championships in Symkhent. Thus, Hu was the first shooter ever to win all four ISSF World Cup legs in a single event, in a single year. While Hu entered the world championships as a favourite, Rana's senior international journey started only this year at the ISSF World Cup in Ningbo, China, where he finished 10th. His only international appearance was at the Junior World Championships in Cairo in 2022, where he clinched gold medals in mixed team event and team events. He also won the World University Shooting Championships gold in Delhi last year. That said, it was unexpected of him to become a world champion in air pistol in his first appearance. Rana, who took to shooting at the insistence of his father and even has a small range at his home, made it to the senior national side only this year....