Granada (Spain), April 6 Indian shooters will aim to establish themselves as a strong force when the Rifle/Pistol World Cup begins here on Tuesday, with the 10m air rifle and air pistol events set to open the competition. However, the challenge is expected to be formidable, given the depth and quality of the experienced field.
In the pistol event, Asian Games champion Palak Gulia will team up with 2024 junior world champion in 25m pistol, Mukesh Nelavalli, while 2025 World Cup Finals silver medallist Sainyam will partner Ujjawal Malik.
They will be competing against a formidable field featuring Olympic and world champions, including the Chinese contingent, which skipped the Asian Championships in New Delhi this year but have fielded two world-class pairings.
The reigning mixed team world champions Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun, and Paris Olympics gold medallist Xie Yu, along with 21-year-old former Junior World Championships medallist Shen Yiyao, will pose the biggest challenge to the field.
Other prominent pairings include: Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and Yusuf Dikec of Turkey, Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec of Serbia, Veronika Major and Akos Karoly Nagy of Hungary, and Christian Reitz and Svenja Berge of Germany.
In the 10m air rifle event, India will be represented by the pairings of Sonam Maskar and Gajanan Khandagale, as well as Shruti and Arshdeep Singh.
The young Indian mixed teams will be up against formidable opposition, including world No. 1 and reigning world champions Sheng Lihao and Wang Zifei of China, while the second Chinese pair in the competition comprises Ma Sihan and Zhang Qianying.
Other pairings in the fray for medals include Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Jon-Hermann Hegg of Norway, current 10m air rifle men's world champion Maximilian Dallinger and Hannah Steffen-Dix of Germany, and Istavan Peni and Eszter Denes of Hungary.
According to the selection policy of the National Rifle Association of India, the country has fielded shooters ranked between fourth and sixth in the domestic national rankings.
With the World Championships in Doha later this year set to award the first quota places for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, top shooters across the globe will be keen to test their class, while it also presents an excellent opportunity for India to assess its depth with an eye on the Asian Games later this year.