Neeru Dhanda and Vivaan Kapoor Secure Bronze at ISSF World Cup

Neeru Dhanda and Vivaan Kapoor have made headlines by winning a bronze medal in the trap mixed team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Their impressive performance included hitting 24 out of 30 targets in the final, although they narrowly missed out on silver against Italy. The duo's achievement marks a significant milestone as it is their first medal in this Olympic event, contributing to India's growing success in shooting sports. Read on to discover more about their journey and the competition details.

By Narendra Chaudhary May 11, 2026, 02:04 IST

India Shines at ISSF World Cup in Almaty

New Delhi [India], May 10 (Media House): Neeru Dhanda and Vivaan Kapoor clinched a bronze medal in the trap mixed team event on Sunday, marking a successful conclusion for India at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

During the final, Neeru and Vivaan managed to hit 24 out of their initial 30 targets. Although they matched the performance of the leading Italian duo, Silvana Stanco and Mauro De Filippis, they ultimately settled for bronze after finishing second to the Italians in the qualification round, as per a press release.

The gold medal was claimed by Kun-Pi Yang and Wan-Yu Liu from Chinese Taipei, who set a new world record with a remarkable score of 36 in the final.

In the qualification phase, Vivaan and Neeru scored 143, just two points shy of the Italian pair, which includes Silvana, a silver medalist from the Paris Olympics, and Mauro, a former world champion. Both shooters excelled in the third round, achieving perfect scores of 25 to secure their spots in the final, with Vivaan missing only two out of his 75 targets.

Teammates Ahvar Rizvi and Pragati Dubey finished 23rd in the 31-team competition with a score of 130.

In the decisive round, Kun and Wan started strong, maintaining a perfect score after the first 10 targets. Neeru missed her third target, placing India in second, while Vivaan successfully hit all five of his targets, continuing his strong performance from qualification.

Italy and China were in a close contest for third place, each hitting five of their first ten targets. Italy ultimately triumphed in this battle, leading by one hit after 20 targets, while Chinese Taipei increased their lead over India as Neeru missed two additional targets.

The Italians showcased their skill in the third series, hitting all their targets, while Vivaan missed his first shot in the final on his 13th attempt. Ultimately, both teams finished with the same score, but the Italians secured the silver due to their superior qualification performance.

This bronze medal marks a significant achievement for Neeru and Vivaan, being their first medal at the ISSF World Cup in this Olympic event and India's second since it was included in the Olympic program last year.