Locked, Loaded, and Lonato-Bound: Indian Shotgun Shooters Eye Glory at Final World Cup Stage

India's top shotgun shooters will be participating in the fourth and final ISSF Shotgun World Cup of the year, which will start on July 6 in Lonato, Italy. The competition, featuring 551 shooters from 73 nations, is likely to be intensely competitive and will be a key test ahead of the World Championships in Athens.

 

Important Points from Team India's Journey

- A 12-member Indian team will be traveling to compete in skeet, trap, and mixed team events.

- The men's skeet team consists of Olympians Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, and Anantjeet Singh Naruka.

- India will have Raiza Dhillon, Ganemat Sekhon, and Maheshwari Chauhan represent women's skeet.

- Trap men squad comprises Lakshay Sheoran, Zoravar Singh Sandhu, and Jaswinder Singh, and women's team comprises Neeru Dhanda, Preeti Rajak, and Pragati Dubey.

Mixed Team and Medal Prospects

- India's only shotgun World Cup medal this year was in the mixed trap event at Nicosia.

- Lakshay is matched with Neeru whereas Zoravar is matched with Preeti in the mixed trap category in Lonato.

- With its stars of the future and its veterans, India is looking to end its recent medal drought.

Preparation and Perspective

- The skeet team has been practicing and acclimatizing already unofficially under Vikram Chopra's coaching.

- Skeet finals are held on July 8, whereas trap events are held on July 13.

This World Cup is a turning point for India's shotgun shooters to pick up pace before the international level in Athens.

Sources: Telangana Today, Sportstar, ThePrint, Olympics.com.