Indian Shooters Gear Up for ISSF World Cup in Granada
Exciting Start to the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup
Granada, Spain - On April 6, Indian shooters are set to make a strong impression as they kick off the international rifle and pistol season at the ISSF World Cup, taking place at the Las Gabias Shooting Range.
As per the announcement, the mixed team events for both the 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol will commence tomorrow.
The qualification rounds for the 10m Air Pistol mixed team will begin at 12:45 IST, with the finals slated for 16:30 IST.
Following that, the qualification for the 10m Air Rifle mixed team is scheduled to start at 15:45 IST, leading to the finals at 19:30 IST.
In the pistol category, reigning Asian Games champion Palak Gulia will team up with Mukesh Nelavalli, the 2024 Junior World Champion in the 25m pistol event. Additionally, Sainyam, a silver medallist from the 2025 World Cup Final, will partner with Ujjawal Malik.
They will face tough competition from elite shooters, including reigning Olympic and World champions. China, which missed the Asian Championships in New Delhi, has entered two formidable pairings for this season's opening event.
The reigning mixed team world champions, Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun, along with Paris Olympics gold medallist Xie Yu and 21-year-old former Junior World Championship medallist Shen Yiyao, are expected to be significant contenders.
Other notable pairings include Paris Olympics silver medallist Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec from Turkey, Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec from Serbia, Veronika Major and Akos Karoly Nagy from Hungary, and Christian Reitz and Svenja Berge from Germany.
In the 10m Air Rifle event, India will be represented by Sonam Uttam Maskar and Gajanan Shahdev Khandagale, as well as Shruti and Arshdeep Singh.
These young shooters will compete against the World Number 1s in both men's and women's categories, Sheng Lihao and Wang Zifei from China. Another strong Chinese duo, Ma Sihan and Zhang Qianying, will also be in the mix.
Other competitors vying for medals include Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg from Norway, current 10m Air Rifle men's World champion Maximilian Dallinger and Hannah Steffen-Dix from Germany, and Istavan Peni and Eszter Denes from Hungary.
According to the selection policy, India has chosen shooters ranked between 4-6 in the national rankings. With the world championships approaching in Doha later this year, which will award the first quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, top shooters are eager to gauge their competitive edge early. This event also serves as a valuable opportunity for India to assess its depth, especially with the Asian Games on the horizon.