ISSF World C’ships: 15 Indians in action, four gold medals on line, as clash of titans loads in Cairo
New Delhi, Nov 7 – India’s shooting team is ready for a showdown at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship in Cairo, Egypt. Sixty‑one of the world’s top marksmen and women are competing in 17 events, including all 10 Olympic disciplines. The first day of the event, Saturday, will decide the gold medals in the women’s and men’s 10‑m air rifle finals and the 50‑m pistol final, a non‑Olympic event that also offers two golds.
### A big field, a big chance
A total of 720 athletes from 71 federations will compete over ten days on Cairo’s Olympic range. The world championship is a key stop on the shooting calendar and a cutting‑edge test for the sport’s best. For India, 40 shooters will take part, and the country already has a solid track record in the 10‑m and 50‑m events.
### Stars to watch
In the men’s 10‑m air rifle, India’s top pick Rudrankksh Patil—world‑number‑10—and Olympic silver medallist Arjun Babuta are returning to Cairo, where Rudrankksh won the world title in 2022. Rookie Vishal Singh also joins the trio. Both men have been on the podium at recent world cups and the Paris Games, so they are hunting more gold.
The women’s 10‑m air rifle features India’s Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, and Shreya Agrawal. The field includes Olympic champion Ban Hyojin of Korea and two rising Chinese teenagers, Wang Zifei and Peng Xinlu. The Indian women will need a sharp 120‑shot qualification to make the final.
The 50‑m pistol, a non‑Olympic event, has India’s Kamaljeet, Ravinder Singh, and Yogesh Kumar as the centre‑stage shooters. Women’s competitors Parisha, Priyanka Patel and Sakshi Suryavanshi will aim for the podium. In the 25‑m rapid‑fire pistol, Olympian Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh and rookie Sameer will start the qualification rounds.
### Experience pays off
The team arrives well‑prepared. “We’ve arrived early and have been training hard on the range,” coach Deepali Deshpande told the National Rifle Association of India. “Some of us have been here six times. We’re ready, the weather’s good, and our shooters are excited for a strong showing.”
India’s 2023 season has been a bright spot for the sport. Junior shooters topped the senior World Cup standings, and seniors collected several world‑level medals. Teenager Suruchi, who won three golds in women’s 10‑m air pistol in her first three ISSF World Cups, entered Cairo as the top‑ranked Indian shooter in the world. Esha Singh’s gold in Nice and Meghana Sajjanar’s debut cup medal add to India’s growing pedigree.
### Beyond Cairo
The championships are the final qualifier for the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha, to be held in early December. Nine Indian shooters have already qualified for the finals, but a strong finish or a medal could push the count higher. The world championships also provide a chance to earn points for Olympic qualification and world ranking.
India finished second in two senior ISSF World Cups and secured third and fifth places in another. The country topped the medal table at the Asian Championships in Shymkent and finished second overall at the previous world championships in 2022.
### Looking ahead
India’s squad is returning from a long road of hard work and successes. With several world‑champion names on the roster, the team will look to build on its momentum in Cairo and, ultimately, make a splash at December’s World Cup Finals. Fans and officials are watching closely as the world’s best shooters fire on the Cairo range, hoping for more gold and a continued rise in Indian shooting.
Source: ianslive
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