World Championship bronze-medallist shooter Mehuli Ghosh and well-known rifle exponent Manini Kaushi failed to get India's campaign going
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday.
Two-time medallist Elavenil Valarivan will fancy her chances on the first competition day of ISSF World Cup in Munich on Tuesday
On Sunday, the Women's 25m Pistol Team won a silver and the Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions (3P) team won a bronze, even as India ended their Paris 2024 Olympics quota quest at two from the championship. Their tally now stands at 12 gold, nine silver, and 13 bronze medals, as per a press release from the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
The Cairo World Cup assumes additional significance given that this will be the final chance for the shooters to qualify for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics
Veteran skeet shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan expresses strong optimism about the future of Indian shooting, attributing the potential rise to government-backed initiatives like Khelo India. He is preparing for his third Asian Games appearance and believes India will have the best team across all shooting disciplines in the next four years, thanks to enhanced grassroots development and support systems.
The Olympic silver medallist finished a rung below gold medallist Ahmed Almaktoum in the double trap shooting in Changwon, Korea.
Indian skeet shooter Bhavtegh Singh Gill clinched a silver medal in the men's skeet event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Porpetto, Italy
Indian shooter Sift Kaur Samra won her first individual ISSF World Cup gold in the women's 50m rifle 3-positions final, while Esha Singh bagged a second individual World Cup silver in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Nicosia tournament, follows two back-to-back combined (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) ISSF World Cups, the first two of the year, in Argentina and Peru respectively that will be held in April.
Shyama Devi, mother of late Indian shooting legend Jaspal Rana, has passed away after battling multiple health issues, just weeks after her son's sudden demise.
Suruchi Singh claims No. 1 spot in ISSF women's 10m air pistol rankings
A top national shotgun coach, involved in India's Asian Games preparations, is under investigation by the Sports Authority of India for alleged conflict of interest related to a contract for building a shooting range in Chennai.
Stunning 1-2 finish for India after Shambhavi, Ojasvi's keen tussle
Sania ousted from Qatar Total Open.
Paris Olympic quota winner Akhil Sheoran won his second career individual ISSF World Cup stage medal, clinching the men's 50m rifle 3 positions bronze in Cairo on Wednesday.
Suruchi shot splendidly throughout and the couple of times she missed the 10-ring, her Tokyo Olympian partner made up with high 10s, including a 10.9 for his first hit of the match.
Jitu Rai pipped three-time Olympic champion Jongoh Jin of Korea to clinch the silver medal at the ISSF Shooting World Cup, in Baku, on Saturday.
Double Olympic-medallist Manu Bhaker opted for a three-month rest following her exploits at the Paris Games.
Trap shooter Zoravar Singh, buoyed by his World Championships bronze, is now focused on qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, emphasising relentless training and tactical analysis.
Rhythm Sangwan staged a fantastic comeback at the back-end of the women's 10m air pistol final to clinch a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Baku.
Jaspal Rana, the acclaimed Indian shooter and high-performance coach, has passed away at 49. Known for mentoring Olympic medallists like Manu Bhaker and other young talents, Rana's contributions significantly shaped Indian shooting. He was a Dronacharya Award recipient.
The ISSF World Cup final in New Delhi has been robbed of some sheen as three of Britain's top shotgun shooters, including Paris Olympics trap gold-medallist Nathan Hales
Young Indian shooter Apurvi Chandela impressed again as she clinched the silver medal in women's 10m air rifle event of the ISSF Rifle and Pistol World Cup Finals in Munich.
The 21-year-old Anish shot 27 in the final to win the bronze.
Top trap shooter Zoravar Singh Sandhu's exclusion from the Indian shotgun contingent for the Asian Games has sparked controversy, despite his international achievements. The NRAI defends its selection policy, while Sandhu urges a review.
India's tally in the premier tournament is 32 medals, including 12 gold, eight silver and 12 bronze.
Esha's effort came as India wrapped up engagements in the 10-Olympic events on schedule at the World Championships, with a historic haul of one gold, three silver and three bronze medals.
Abhishek Verma secured India's fifth Olympic quota place in shooting after winning the 10m air pistol gold medal at the ISSF World Cup, in Beijing, on Saturday. Participating in his maiden International Shooting Sport Federation World Cup final, the Indian led the field throughout the men's 10m air pistol final to clinch the top spot with a total score of 242.7.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Friday
The first batch of 22 Indian shooters, accompanied by 13 support staff, has departed for Buenos Aires to compete in the first ISSF World Cup of the year.
India's Anish Bhanwala endured two nerve-wracking shoot-offs in a high-quality 25m rapid-fire pistol final to clinch the biggest medal in his shooting career, a silver at the ISSF World Championships (Pistol/Rifle), in Cairo on Sunday.
Olympian Mairaj Khan missed two targets to also be in contention in 32nd spot, while the third Indian in men's skeet, Rituraj Bundela (23, 21), was further down with six misses so far.
This is the first time India will be hosting two Olympic quota competitions.
The Indian shooting fraternity is mourning the sudden demise of legendary pistol ace and Dronacharya awardee Jaspal Rana at the age of 49 due to cardiac complications. Rana, a multiple-time Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medallist, was also a highly successful coach who mentored Olympic medallists like Manu Bhaker, leaving an indelible mark on Indian shooting.
With no Olympic quota places on offer, the National Rifles Association of India (NRAI) has decided not to host the pistol and rifle World Cup scheduled in Delhi in March next year. The alternative venue for staging the World Cup would be decided in the coming weeks.
Rahi Sarnobat scripted history on Friday, becoming the first Indian pistol shooter to clinch a gold medal in the ISSF World Cup, when she pipped local hope Kyeongae Kim 8-6 in the final of the 25m sports pistol event in Changwon, Korea.
India finished on top at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Suhl after Sift Kaur Samra and Surya Pratap Singh settled for a silver in the 50m rifle prone mixed team event
India's shooter Swapnil Kusale won a silver medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions (3P) event at the ISSF World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan on Thursday, giving the country its second medal of the competition.
Harmanpreet Singh, Smriti Mandhana, Divya Deshmukh among five Indian stars nominated for BBC awards
