Cairo Clash of Titans: 15 Indians Battle for Gold at Shooting Worlds

The women's and men's 10m air rifle finals will no doubt be the showstoppers, being popular Olympic events, with the non-Olympic 50m pistol event also giving out two gold medals on day one.

A total of 720 athletes from 71 member federations will compete in Cairo's Olympic Shooting range over 10 competition days, in what has now become a regular venue in the international shooting calendar over the past few years.

The Shooting World Championship is often referred to as the pinnacle of the sport by athletes, given a wider array of top shooters in the fray than the Olympics, and as such, Cairo 2025 will truly be a clash of the titans, with almost all reigning world and Olympic champions in the fray. India has fielded a 40-strong squad to participate in 17 events, including all 10 Olympic events on the roster.

Busy Day One

The two 10m Air Rifle finals for men and women, respectively, are set to be the highlights of the opening day, and for India, Rudrankksh Patil, currently the 10th best in the world, will be back at the venue of his biggest achievement, having been crowned world champion in Cairo in 2022. Arjun Babuta, fourth in the Paris Olympics, will also be by his side and has also done well in Cairo, while rookie Vishal Singh will complete the trio.

Both Rudrankksh and Arjun have been in medal-winning international form this year, with the former picking up an individual gold at the Buenos Aires World Cup and the latter winning silver in Lima, besides winning multiple mixed team medals at the continental and world levels.

They will have their task cut out, however, given the presence of several heavyweights and legends in the 110-strong field, none more intimidating than reigning world record holder and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao of China, all of 20 and eyeing a first world Championships title, having been relegated to bronze at the same venue three years back.

The task will be equally daunting for India's air rifle women's trio comprising two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, and Shreya Agrawal, in an even larger 121-strong world championship qualification field.

Both Ela and Meghana have done well in international competitions this year picking up individual world cup medals, but in a field which will have Olympic champion Ban Hyojin of Korea, besides two sensational Chinese teenagers in Wang Zifei and Peng Xinlu among others, the three Indians will have to be at their very best in the 60-shot qualification round to have a shot at the medals.

The first batch of the squad arrived well in time, and one thing going for India will be the familiarity with the range. "Some are making their sixth trip here," quipped Deepali Deshpande, coach of the team from Cairo.

"We came well in time and settled down and have trained hard not only over the past couple of days, but also at the camp back home last month. The Shooters have also had a refreshing break from competition, are eager to get back to the grind, and we are confident of a good showing. Weather has also been very good so far," she was quoted as saying by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

In the other medal events of the day, Kamaljeet, Ravinder Singh, and Yogesh Kumar line up for India in the men's 50m pistol, while in the corresponding women's event, Parisha, Priyanka Patel, and Sakshi Suryavanshi will aim for gold.

The day will also see Olympian Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh, and Sameer, yet another rookie at this level, navigate through the first qualification round of the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) event.

The Cairo World Championships will also serve as the last chance for athletes looking to qualify for the annual season-ending cash-rich showdown between the world's best shooters- the ISSF World Cup Finals, scheduled in Doha in the first week of December. As many as nine Indians have already made the cut and a medal at the worlds, or even a top finish can take it beyond double digits.

India's international shooting year

Indian shooting has had a brilliant year in terms of medals won across the senior and junior levels and will look to keep that momentum going in the two year-ending premium tournaments in Cairo and Doha.

While the juniors topped the standings in both the ISSF World Cups held in the year, the seniors also brought in a host of top international medals while also achieving significant breakthroughs.

Teenager Suruchi was the brightest star of the Rifle/Pistol group, having won three gold medals in women's 10m Air Pistol in her first three ISSF World Cups. That ensured that she went into the Cairo Worlds as the only Indian ranked number one in the world.

Esha Singh's stunning gold in the same event in Ningbo, China, was a statement in itself, besides being a first individual World Cup gold for the talented Hyderabadi shooter.

Among others in the squad with breakthrough performances in the year is Meghana Sajjanar, who won her first individual World Cup medal in Ningbo.

Overall, India finished second, third twice, and fifth in the four senior ISSF World Cups involving Rifle and Pistol, while topping the tally at the 16th Asian Championships in Shymkent, Kazakhstan.

In Cairo, India have topped the standings in each of the two previous ISSF World Cups held in the last two years while finishing second overall at the World Championships in 2022.

- IANS