Shooter Samrat Rana wins Sportsman of the Year award at Sportstar Aces 2026
Samrat Rana was named Sportsman of the Year (Olympic Sports) at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2026, held in Mumbai on Friday, in recognition of a breakthrough season that elevated Indian shooting on the global stage.
The 21-year-old marksman from Karnal enjoyed a remarkable 2025, highlighted by a historic gold medal at the World Championships in Cairo. Rana became the first Indian pistol shooter to win a senior world title in an Olympic discipline when he clinched the men’s 10m air pistol crown with a score of 243.7. After topping the qualification round, he edged China’s Hu Kai by a narrow margin of 0.4 points in the final.
Rana also played a key role in India’s success in the men’s team event, joining Varun Tomar and Sharvan Kumar to secure gold at the World Championships. In addition, he teamed up with Esha Singh to win silver in the mixed team air pistol event.
He capped off the season with a bronze medal at the World Cup Final in Doha, his first podium finish at the prestigious event. The consistent run of performances propelled Rana to a career-high world ranking of No. 6.
The 2026 Sportstar Aces Awards are presented by Amul, co-presented by Casagrand in association with SRM Institute of Science and Technology. SBI, Christ University, Bharat Petroleum, LIC, Sports Authority of Telangana, NTPC, Indian Softball Cricket Foundation, Jaquar And Company Private Limited are associate partners. Reva University is the education partner. Blue Star is the cooling partner while Times Now is the telecast partner.
Published on Mar 13, 2026