New Delhi, March 25 – The top international skeet shooters will compete on the opening day of the inaugural Shotgun World Cup of the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup series, which begins in Tangier, Morocco, on Thursday. A 12-member team is ready to represent India in the first ISSF World Cup Shotgun of the year.
Over 270 athletes from 43 countries are vying for five gold medals in the five Olympic shotgun events, including reigning world and Olympic champions, eager to test their skills ahead of a long and crucial international season.
The men's and women's skeet shooters will fire first, with the first 75 targets of the qualification round scheduled for Friday (March 27, 2026), followed by the next 50 targets and the finals the day after. The final event, the Trap Mixed Team event, is scheduled for April 2, 2026.
The Indian shotgun squad last competed as a full team internationally last year at the Athens World Championships, where senior pro Zoravar Singh Sandhu won a historic bronze in the men's trap.
The team arrived in Tangier on Monday, having travelled through Cairo in Egypt, and has already had unofficial training sessions at the Tangier Shooting Club ranges, which is the official venue for the event. Official pre-event training for skeet shooters is scheduled for Thursday.
Speaking ahead of the skeet competitions, national coach Vikram Chopra said, “We came early to acclimatize, and also because the team is competing at this level after a long break. The training has been challenging and positive, but there is nothing better than competing against world-class athletes early in an important year. We hope for a positive start to the year here in Morocco.”
In Tangier, two more seasoned pros, Man Singh and Parampal Singh Guron, will represent India in the men's skeet, with Jyotiraditya Singh Sisodiya completing the trio. Man, a former Asian champion, will be making a comeback to the team after three years, while Parampal last represented India in 2022. The young Jyotiraditya won a junior bronze in his last international outing at the Shymkent Asian Championships last year and is eager to make his senior debut for India.
In the women's skeet, Olympian Maheshwari Chauhan will lead state juniors Darshna and Yashasvi Rathore in the bid for medals, forming a three-member team from Rajasthan.
The Trap team comprises three Olympians, including Rajeshwari Kumari among the women and Prithviraj Tondaiman and Kynan Chenai among the men. Kirti Gupta and Aashima Ahlawat will team up with Rajeshwari, while Bhowneesh Mendiratta will look to add to his one World Cup silver in the men's trap. Prithviraj & Kirti and Kynan & Rajeshwari will pair up in the Trap Mixed Team event for India.