Key Points

India's skeet shooting team faced disappointment at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy, failing to secure a spot in the top-six finals. Veteran shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan was the best-performing Indian, finishing 30th in a highly competitive men's skeet field. Other shooters like Bhavtegh Gill and Ganemat Sekhon also struggled to make significant progress in the qualifying rounds. The team will now look forward to the upcoming Trap events starting July 11.

Key Points: India's Skeet Shooters Miss ISSF Lonato World Cup Finals

  • Mairaj Ahmad Khan finishes 30th in 176-strong men's skeet field
  • Bhavtegh Gill and Ganemat Sekhon struggle in final qualifying rounds
  • Olympians Chauhan and Dhillon land in 27th and 33rd positions
  • Trap events set to begin on July 11
2 min read

Skeet shooters miss out on finals spot in Lonato World Cup

Indian skeet shooting team falls short in ISSF World Cup Lonato, with Mairaj Ahmad Khan and team failing to make top-six finals

"Competitive performance with challenging final day outcomes - Shooting Analysis Report"

New Delhi, July 8

India's skeet shooting team has missed out on making the top-six final cut in the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun in Lonato, Italy.

Senior pro and Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan (24, 25, 24, 25, 23) -- the best placed among three Indians across the men's and women's skeet competitions who were best placed after two days (100 targets) of qualifying, to make it through -- shot a 23 in his fifth and final round, to finish 30th in the huge 176-strong men's skeet field. He tallied a total of 121.

Other contenders like Bhavtegh Gill (23, 25, 25, 25, 21) shot 21 on Tuesday morning, to total 119, while Ganemat Sekhon (23, 25, 24, 24, 20) in the women's skeet, shot 20, to end with 116. They finished 75th and 30th, respectively.

Also in the women's skeet, Olympians Maheshwari Chauhan (24, 22, 22, 25, 23) and Raiza Dhillon (22, 23, 24, 24, 22) finished with rounds of 23 and 22 each, to tally 116 and 115 respectively, for 27th and 33rd spot finishes.

Another Olympian, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (24, 24, 24, 23, 24), made up lost ground in men's skeet, firing a 24 in his final effort to finish with 119 and a 67th spot finish.

The Trap events begin next, with Friday (July 11) being the first day of qualifying.

Earlier on Monday, Bhavtegh Singh Gill fired two perfect rounds of 25 each to bring himself into finals contention alongside senior pro Mairaj Ahmad Khan, both finishing with identical scores of 98, after four qualifying rounds of the men's skeet competition.

Ganemat Sekhon, in the women's skeet, also remained in strong contention with rounds of 24 each, giving her a tally of 96 and eighth spot provisionally.

Ganemat began her qualifying rounds at the Trap Concaverde on Monday, in 10th spot overnight. She missed one target each in the two rounds scheduled, to rise up to eighth at the end of day two.

However, things did not work out on the final day as they failed to improve their positions.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As an expat living in India, I'm impressed by how much shooting sports have grown here. Though the results weren't great this time, the fact that India has multiple Olympians in this discipline shows progress. Keep going team! 👏
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Ananya R
Ganemat Sekhon was doing so well initially! What happened on the final day yaar? 😔 We need to analyze why our athletes often start strong but fade in crucial moments. Maybe more exposure to international competitions will help.
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Karthik V
Respect to all the athletes who represented India. Shooting is such a precision sport where even 1 point makes huge difference. The pressure must be immense. Let's support them for future tournaments rather than criticize.
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Michael C
Interesting to see India's growing presence in shooting sports. The scores show they're not far behind - just need that extra push to break into top ranks. The Trap events coming up could be their chance to shine!
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Priya S
Disappointing but not disheartening! Our shooters are still young and learning. Remember how Abhinav Bindra started? It took years of persistence before his Olympic gold. These athletes need our patience and support 💪

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