After an action-packed week in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the ISSF World Cup caravan heads northwest to Lima, Peru, for the second leg of the South American double-header. From April 15th to 21st, the Peruvian capital will welcome 392 elite athletes from 43 countries, each vying for medals across 594 event starts at the renowned Las Palmas Shooting Range.
The host nation will field a 37-member squad, headlined by local hero Nicolás Pacheco, Peru’s last World Cup gold medallist. Pacheco famously clinched the men’s skeet title in Lima in 2022 and will be hoping to replicate that triumph in front of a home crowd once again.
All individual gold medallists from the Buenos Aires leg are confirmed to compete in Lima, including standout performers from powerhouses China and India. These two nations dominated in Argentina, collectively capturing nine of the 15 available golds. With delegations 46-strong for China and 42 for India, both countries arrive in Peru with momentum and medal ambitions.
China’s Hu Kai (Men’s 10m Air Pistol), Sun Yujie (Women’s 25m Pistol), and Wang Zifei (Women’s 10m Air Rifle) return as titleholders. They are joined by 2023 World Champion Han Jiayu in the Women’s 10m Air Rifle and Olympic silver medallist Qi Ying in the Men’s Trap. Olympic gold medallist Sheng Lihao will also compete in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle, alongside fellow Olympic champions Xie Yu and Jiang Ranxin in the pistol events.
From India, Buenos Aires champions Sift Kaur Samra (Women’s 50m Rifle Three Positions), Vijayveer Sidhu (Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol), Suruchi Singh (Women’s 10m Air Pistol), and Rudrankksh Patil (Men’s 10m Air Rifle) are back in action. Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker will look to bounce back with a medal in women’s pistol events, while Arjun Babuta and Sonam Uttam Maskar will hope to claim medals in rifle events.
Pistol specialists such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Varun Tomar, Ravinder Singh, Amit Sharma, and Esha Singh—who claimed silver in Women’s 25m Pistol in Buenos Aires—add depth to the Indian challenge.
Hungary’s István Péni, fresh off his seventh individual World Cup title in Buenos Aires, remains one of the biggest threats in the men’s rifle events. Péni will target further success in both the 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle Three Positions events.
The Americas are well represented, too. Argentina’s Marcelo Gutierrez, bronze medallist in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle, and skeet specialist Federico Gil lead the charge. Chile’s Olympic champion Francisca Crovetto (Women’s Skeet) and Guatemala’s Adriana Ruano (Women’s Trap) and Jean Pierre Brol (Men’s Trap) are also among the notable regional stars returning for Lima.
The United States boasts a strong team, looking to build on two golds in Argentina, courtesy of Christian Elliott (Men’s Skeet) and Dania Vizzi (Women’s Skeet). Veteran Kimberly Rhode and Carey Garrison (Women’s Shotgun), along with Walton Glenn Eller and William Hinton (Men’s Trap), are medal hopefuls, while rifle ace Sagen Maddalena remains a key contender.
Global talent continues to bolster the field, with Olympic champions Nina Christen and Chiara Leone (Switzerland), Kazakhstan’s Alexandra Le and Islam Satpayev, South Korea’s Kwon Eunji, and Norway’s Jeanette Hegg Duestad all in the mix. Austria’s Alexander Schmirl, Czechia’s Jiri Privratsky, Sweden’s and Norway’s Jon-Hermann Hegg, and Germany’s pistol stars Doreen Vennekamp and Christian Reitz will also be aiming for podium finishes.
In shotgun events, Italy’s Tammaro Cassandro, Kazakhstan’s Ilya Penkov, Australia’s Mitchel Iles, James Willett, and Buenos Aires gold medallist Penny Smith join the fray. Yang Kun-Pi (Chinese Taipei) and Silvana Stanco (Italy) round out a high-caliber international roster.
With so many returning champions, Olympic medallists, and rising stars, the Lima leg promises another thrilling chapter in the 2025 ISSF World Cup series. The race for medals—and Olympic qualification points—continues under the Peruvian sun.