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Indian Shooters Target Mixed Team Gold at Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Granada

The ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup in Granada begins with the mixed team events in 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol. India is represented by pairings like Palak Gulia with Mukesh Nelavalli in pistol and Sonam Uttam Maskar with Gajanan Shahdev Khandagale in rifle. They face formidable competition, notably from reigning Chinese world champions like Hu Kai and Yao Qianxun. The event serves as an early-season test for shooters aiming for future Olympic quota places.

Key Points: Indian Shooters Begin World Cup Campaign in Granada Mixed Team Events

  • Mixed team events kick off the season
  • India fields young pairings based on domestic rankings
  • Reigning Chinese world champions pose biggest challenge
  • Event is a key test ahead of LA 2028 quota competitions
3 min read

Indian shooters eye strong start in mixed team events at Rifle/Pistol World Cup

Indian shooters, including Palak Gulia and Sonam Maskar, compete in 10m Air Rifle and Pistol mixed team events at the ISSF World Cup in Granada.

"The world's top guns will be looking to test their competitive edge early. - ISSF Release"

Granada, April 6

Indian shooters will eye a strong start to the international rifle/pistol season as the mixed team events will kickstart the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Cup, Granada on Tuesday at the Las Gabias Shooting Range.

According to a release, the medals of the mixed team events in 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol will be decided tomorrow.

The competition will start with the qualification for 10m Air Pistol mixed team at 12:45 IST and the finals are scheduled for 16:30 IST.

The qualification for 10m Air Rifle mixed team will start at 15:45 IST and the finals are scheduled for 19:30 IST.

In the pistol event, reigning Asian Games champion Palak Gulia will pair up with 2024 Junior World Champion in 25m pistol, Mukesh Nelavalli while 2025 World Cup Final silver medallist Sainyam will team up with Ujjawal Malik.

They will be up against some of the accomplished shooters in the discipline consisting of reigning Olympic and World champions. China, who had skipped the Asian Championships in New Delhi, have entered two world class pairings in their first event of the season.

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 Championship medallist Shen Yiyao will pose the biggest challenge for the rest of the field.

Other prominent pairings include, Paris Olympics silver medallist 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 Uttam Maskar and Gajanan Shahdev Khandagale and Shruti and Arshdeep Singh.

The young pairs will be up against World Number 1 in men and women and the reigning World Champions Sheng Lihao and Wang Zifei, once again of China. The second Chinese pairing will be Ma Sihan and Zhang Qianying.

The other pairings in the fray for medals are 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.

As per laid down selection policy, India has fielded shooters ranked between 4-6 in the domestic national rankings. With the world championships at the end of the year in Doha awarding the first Los Angeles 2028 quota places, the world's top guns will be looking to test their competitive edge early, but it is also an excellent opportunity for India to test its depth with the additional goal of Asian Games success lurking ahead.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Good to see a mix of experienced and new shooters. Palak Gulia is a champion! But I have a respectful criticism: why are we only fielding shooters ranked 4-6 domestically? Shouldn't our absolute best be at the first World Cup to set the tone? Hope the strategy works.
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Vikram M
Timings are perfect for us in India! 12:45 and 15:45 IST starts mean we can watch during the day. Will be glued to the streaming. All the best to Team India. Let's show the world our shooting depth.
S
Sarah B
As a sports fan living in India, it's impressive to see the pipeline of talent. Shruti and Arshdeep in rifle are new names for me. This is what building for the future looks like. The China challenge is real, but competition breeds excellence.
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Rohit P
The focus on LA 2028 quotas already! Smart planning. Testing our 4th-6th ranked shooters against Olympic champs is a bold move. Win or learn. Jai Hind!
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Kavya N
So proud of our shooters! 🎯 After the success in Asian Games, expectations are high. Hope the pressure doesn't get to the young pairs. Just focus on the process, medals will follow. All the best!

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