A 12-member Indian shotgun shooting squad has descended on the Italian town of Lonato to compete in the prestigious ISSF World Cup, with high expectations riding on the country’s top trap and skeet shooters. The skeet team, already on-site and training, begins their campaign today with the men’s and women’s qualification rounds, while the trap shooters are set to join the action from July 5.
Leading India’s skeet challenge are Olympians Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, and Anantjeet Singh Naruka in the men’s section. In the women’s category, Olympians Maheshwari Chauhan and Raiza Dhillon will join forces with the seasoned Ganemat Sekhon.
The official pre-event training session took place on Saturday, with the skeet finals scheduled for Tuesday, July 8.
Meanwhile, the trap shooters, comprising Lakshay Sheoran, Zoravar Singh Sandhu, and Jaswinder Singh in the men’s division, and Neeru Dhanda, Preeti Rajak, and Pragati Dubey among the women, are expected to arrive and begin preparations ahead of their events.
India’s hopes in the Trap Mixed Team event—where they won their only Shotgun World Cup medal of the year earlier in Nicosia—rest on the pairs of Lakshay & Neeru and Zoravar & Preeti.
As one of the biggest events in the international shooting calendar, the Lonato World Cup has drawn 551 shooters from 73 nations, reaffirming its status as a premier battleground in shotgun sports.
With momentum, experience, and Olympic pedigree on their side, India will look to make a mark as they fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming World Championships in Athens.