Granada, April 6: The ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup kicks off today at the Las Gabias shooting range, featuring mixed team events. Indian shooters are eager to make a strong start to the international rifle and pistol season. Medals for the 10-meter air rifle and 10-meter air pistol mixed team events will be decided on the opening day.
The competition begins with the qualification round for the 10-meter air pistol mixed team at 12:45 PM IST, followed by the finals scheduled for 4:30 PM. The qualification for the 10-meter air rifle mixed team starts at 3:45 PM, with the finals set for 7:30 PM.
In the pistol event, reigning Asian Games champion Palak Gulya will team up with junior world champion Mukesh Nelavalli in the 25-meter pistol category. Additionally, she will partner with silver medalist from the 2025 World Cup finals, Sanyam Ujjwal Malik. They will face some of the best shooters in the sport, including current Olympic and world champions.
China has entered two world-class pairs in this season’s first event. The reigning mixed team world champions, Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun, along with Paris Olympic gold medalist Ji Yu, and 21-year-old former junior world championship medalist Shen Yiyao, pose significant challenges for the competition.
Other notable pairs include Paris Olympic silver medalist Sevil Ilayda Tarhan and Turkey’s Yusuf Dikes, Serbia’s Jovana Arunovic and Damir Mikac, Hungary’s Veronika Major and Akos Karoly Nagy, and Germany’s Christian Reitz and Swenja Berge. In the 10-meter air rifle event, India will be represented by pairs Sonam Uttam Maskar and Gajanan Shahadev Khandagle, as well as Shruti and Arshdeep Singh.
These young pairs will once again face the world’s number one players and current world champions from China, Sheng Lihao and Wang Jifei. China’s second pair will be Ma Sihan and Zhang Qianying.
Other pairs in the medal race include Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad and John-Herman Hegg, Germany’s current 10-meter air rifle men’s world champion Maximilian Dallinger and Hanna Stefan-Dix, and Hungary’s Istvan Penny and Agter Denes.
According to the established selection policy, India has fielded shooters ranked between 4th and 6th in the national rankings. The World Championship at the end of the year in Doha will be crucial, as it will offer the first quota spots for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, allowing the world’s top shooters to test their competitive abilities.
My name is Bhupendra Singh Chundawat. I am an experienced content writer with several years of expertise in the field. Currently, I contribute to Daily Kiran, creating engaging and informative content across a variety of categories including technology, health, travel, education, and automobiles. My goal is to deliver accurate, insightful, and captivating information through my words to help readers stay informed and empowered.
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