Key Points

A massive 695 athletes, among them a constellation of Olympic and World champions and legends of the sport from 78 countries, will make a feature in the Munich World Cup. There are 10 finals on the roster, and competitions begin on Tuesday. The season began with a double-header in South America where Indian Rifle and Pistol shooters picked up 15 medals, including six gold, helping the team finish a creditable second and third respectively on the standings. The Munich leg will, however, present a much tougher challenge given the much wider presence of the world’s best shooters.

While many stars like Li would be making their first appearance on the ISSF circuit in Munich after the Paris Olympics last year, India, who have fielded a 22-strong team across the 10 events, including the two mixed team events, will also look forward to a few anticipated comebacks. Prominent among them will be Swapnil Kusale, the Paris bronze medallist in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions (3P), who has fought his way back into the team with some great scores on the domestic circuit. Two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan will also be seen in international competitive action for the first time since Paris, although she did make the trip to Buenos Aires and Lima as an RPO shooter.

Reigning Asian Games champion Palak in the women’s air pistol also makes it back to the team, and a few world cup debuts, like that of newly crowned women’s air rifle national champion Ananya Naidu and the two new faces at this level in men’s air pistol—Aditya Malra and Nishant Rawat—are also to look forward to, as India looks to continue to explore their depth in the two disciplines ahead of bigger challenges later in the year.

Among the constellation of stars, none shines brighter than two Chinese marksmen: the legendary Li Yuehong, reigning Olympic champion and three-time Olympic medalist in the 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP), and Sheng Lihao, the reigning Olympic, World and Asian champion, world-record holder, and a 20-year-old air-rifle sensation. In fact, in his last outing in Munich last year, Sheng set a new finals world record in his pet 10m air rifle and is coming off yet another World Cup win, in Lima. Li would be appearing at this level for the first time after his Paris Olympics gold.

The Munich World Cup, set at a time when international shooters are generally nearing their peak and given its legacy and favourable location, like always has attracted the who’s who of Rifle and Pistol shooting. Every strong shooting nation has sent its strongest available squads. China, outright winners of the first two legs, besides Li and Sheng, are also bringing their men’s air pistol Olympic champion Xie Yu, in what is also a 22-member squad. Sheng, by the way, is also the mixed air rifle Olympic champion but his partner in Paris, Huang Yuting, will be missing in action.

Hosts Germany have also fielded a strong 27-member contingent led by their pistol legend and former Olympic and World champion Christian Reitz. Anna Janssen, their women’s air rifle qualification world record holder, would also be starting on home soil. Another RFP legend Jean Quiquampoix, part of a 16-member French squad, will help complete the troika of legends who have completely dominated the RFP event over the last decade or so.

The Koreans will also be there in full force with 19 shooters, among them two of their three reigning women Olympic champions Yang Jiin (25m pistol) and Oh Yejin (10m air pistol). Reigning mixed team air pistol Paris champions Damir Mikec and Zorana Arunovic will headline a 15-member Serbian squad, while women’s 3P exponent Chiara Leone will complete the line-up of reigning Olympic champions in Munich. She will accompany an equally high-quality 11-member Switzerland team.

Among former Olympic champions who have entered to start for their respective nations are Javad Faroughi (Iran-10m air pistol), Nina Christen (Switzerland-women’s 3P), and Greek women’s pistol legend Anna Korakaki. Several Paris Olympic medallists like the USA’s Sagen Maddalena, Italy’s Paolo Monna and Danilo Sollazzo, and Alexandra Le of Kazakhstan are also set to start in Munich. The USA’s former world champion Alison Weisz also shoots in Munich, highlighting the strong US presence.

Other legendary shooters in attendance will include the likes of Ukrainian rifle specialist Serhii Kulish (two-time Olympic medalist), who is part of a 21-member squad; the Czech Republic’s Petar Gorsa; Hungary’s Istvan Peni; and Turkiye’s Yusuf Dikec. A group of 25 individual neutral athletes (AIN) are also expected to pose a strong challenge in the 10 events on the schedule.

- IANS