Sheng Lihao Wins World Championship 10m Air Rifle
China's Sheng Lihao captured his first World Championship gold in the men's 10m air rifle, edging teammate Ma Sihan by one point.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Olympics
Sheng Lihao won the men's 10m air rifle title at the ISSF World Championships, scoring 254.1 points to beat teammate Ma Sihan's 253.1. The victory secured a China quota place in the event for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
Why it matters
Sheng's win extends China's dominance in the event, with the team also setting a world record in the men's team competition. The result also determines national quota allocations ahead of the 2028 Olympic Games.
Sheng's 254.1-point final total beat Ma's 253.1 by one point, and China's 1,901.6-point men's team total set a world record. Sheng had already won the Paris 2024 Olympic title in the event, and the remaining World Championships events run through Nov. 13.
The players
Sheng Lihao
Sheng is a Chinese sport shooter who won the Paris 2024 Olympic men's 10m air rifle title and earlier claimed gold at the Hangzhou 2022 and Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games.
Ma Sihan
Ma is a Chinese sport shooter who took silver in his World Championships debut, finishing one point behind teammate Sheng Lihao.
Miran Maricic
Maricic is a Croatian sport shooter who claimed bronze in the men's 10m air rifle with 229.9 points.
The details
Sheng took the lead after the first 10 shots of the final, briefly lost it after the first elimination series, then scored 10.8 and 10.9 in the next series to regain control. He entered the final series with a 0.9-point advantage over Ma and sealed the title with two scores of 10.7.
Timeline
Paris 2024: Sheng wins the Olympic men's 10m air rifle title.
Nov. 3, 2026: Sheng wins the World Championships men's 10m air rifle title.
Nov. 13, 2026: The World Championships are scheduled to end.
Wednesday: Mixed team and men's 25m rapid fire pistol events are scheduled.
The Big Picture
Sheng's back-to-back major titles after his Paris 2024 Olympic win place him among the event's leading shooters heading toward the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. China's world-record team total further strengthens its position in the men's 10m air rifle ahead of that Games.
The men's 10m air rifle China quota place secured here fixes one of the national slots for Los Angeles 2028, so the result directly shapes which shooters can compete at that Games. Fans tracking Olympic qualification can use the final standings to see how the field is set for the event.
The takeaway
Sheng's consistency across the Paris 2024 Olympics and this World Championships win highlights how sustained performance under pressure separates top shooters from the rest of the field. Watching how these results feed into Olympic quota placements offers a clear view of the competition ahead.
What happens next
The World Championships continue through Nov. 13, with the mixed team and men's 25m rapid fire pistol events scheduled for Wednesday.
Further reading
Explore more Olympics coverage for context on Sheng's path to the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
