New Delhi, Oct 10 – In a standout opening day at the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025 in Athens, Greece, India’s Bhavtegh Singh Gill delivered a perfect 50‑point round in men’s skeet. The two‑time Junior World Championship medallist shot all 50 targets at the Malakasa Shooting Range, placing him among a field of shooting legends who also opened with perfect scores.
Gill’s flawless performance joined the company of Olympic gold‑medal champion Vincent Hancock of the United States, 2000 Olympic champion Mikola Milchev of Ukraine, World Cup winner Henrik Jansson of Sweden, Poland’s Kacper Jerzyall Baksalary and Denmark’s Emil Kjeldgaard—all of whom recorded perfect 50s to secure the top of the leaderboard after Day 1.
India’s other shooters also had solid outings. Olympian and Asian Champion Anantjeet Singh Naruka hit 48 out of 50 (24‑24), landing 35th overall. Two‑time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan shot 45 (24‑21), placing 97th among 116 competitors. In the women’s event, Olympic hopefuls Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal scored 45 (23‑22) and 44 (21‑23), respectively, while Ganemat Sekhon reached 43 (21‑22).
World‑level women’s shooters also topped the standings with 49 hits each. China’s former Asian champion Jinmei Gao, Cyprus’s Anastasia Eleftheriou, Australia’s Aislin Jones, USA’s World No.1 Samantha Simonton, and Canada’s Madeliene Lieselotte Boyd shared the lead after the first two rounds.
The qualification schedule continues on Saturday with two additional 25‑target rounds for all shooters. Sunday will feature a final 25‑target round, after which the top six competitors in both men’s and women’s skeet will advance to the finals. The men’s and women’s finals will take place on Sunday, Oct 12, at 7:00 pm and 5:30 pm IST respectively, where the new world champions will be crowned.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has fielded a strong squad for the Athens championships, a move that underscores India’s growing presence in international shooting sports.
Source: ianslive
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