Top five shooters to watch out for at Junior World Championship

The Indians will look to win some medals at the tournament.

Indian shooters are back in action after the Tokyo Olympics, as some of them are gearing up for the ISSF Junior World Championship in Lima, Peru. Some of India's best young shooters will be in action in the tournament. While Manu Bhaker will spearhead the Indian contingent, there are other talents all over the different events.

Only shooters below the age of 21 are allowed to participate in the Junior World Championship. It is a great opportunity for the people to witness the stars of tomorrow. It is also a wonderful platform for the shooters to put a dreadful Tokyo Olympics behind them and move ahead.

Here are some of the top Indian shooters to look forward to at the ISSF Junior World Championship:

5. Mehuli Ghosh

Commonwealth Games silver medalist Mehuli Ghosh will be returning to action at the ISSF Junior World Championship. The 20-year-old shooter is definitely one of the brightest prospects in shooting, as he will look to make India proud once again. The young rifle shooter showed glimpses of her talent even before the Commonwealth Games. She had won multiple bronze medals at the ISSF Shooting World Cup.

In 2019 she won the silver medal at the Junior World Cup, as he was beaten to the gold by her compatriot Elavenil Valarivan. Mehuli would like to put her demons of not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics aside and look forward. She will look to prove her worth at the ISSF Junior World Championship and a good performance in Peru will give her confidence for future events. If she can maintain her form, she can be a real contender for India at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

4. Sarabjot Singh

All eyes will be on the Haryana-based young shooter, who has already made a name for himself in the junior circuit. Sarabjot Singh burst onto the scene with his exceptional performance at the 2019 ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany. He won the gold medal in the 10m Air Pistol after he shot 239.6. Sarabjot held his nerves, as he was constantly pressurized by Chinese shooters.

He will also be partnering with Olympian Manu Bhaker at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championship in the 10m Pistol Mixed event. Therefore, a lot will rely on him to deliver at the Junior Championships in Peru. He will also team up with Naveen and Shiva Narwal in the 10m Air Pistol Men's Team event.

3. Anish Bhanwala

Another Haryana-based 19-year-old shooter who is extremely talented will feature in the ISSF Junior World Championship. Anish Bhanwala's biggest moment in his career was winning the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games. The youngster will look to put behind his disappointment of not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics.

Anish will be participating in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event and will also team up with Vijayweer Sidhu and Adarsh Singh in the 25m Men's Rapid Fire Pistol Team event. There is no doubt about Anish's talent, but the youngster needs to hold his own and deliver a memorable performance in Peru.

2. Aishwary Singh Tomar

One of the young shooting sensations of India, who made it to the Tokyo Olympics, Aishwary won the gold medal at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi. It was a fantastic performance from the rifle shooter, as he defeated World No. 1 Hungary's Istvan Peni and Denmark Steffan Olsen. He was one of the medal contenders for India at the Tokyo Olympics.

However, he received a rude awakening in Tokyo. Aishwary's debut Olympics did not go as well as he would have thought. The youngster finished at a lowly 21st spot in the qualifiers and failed to make it to the final round. But, those things are in the past now, Aishwarya should look to start afresh and a top performance in the ISSF Junior World Championship will be a genuine morale booster for the talented shooter.

1. Manu Bhaker

Probably one of the biggest stars in this event, Manu Bhaker will be spearheading the Indian contingent at the ISSF Junior World Championship. She has been one of the most consistent Indian pistol shooters. However, there was a lot of negativity around the youngster, in the midst of her underwhelming performance in the Tokyo Olympics. Bhaker had won several medals at ISSF events in the build-up to the Olympics. But, she fizzled out under the weight of expectations and couldn't deliver the elusive medal.

Bhaker's record in the World Cup is exceptional. She has won nine gold medals in the world events. She is also a Commonwealth Games gold medalist and a Youth Olympics champion. Hence, there are always big expectations from the Jhajjar-based star shooter. A good performance at the Junior World Championship will be some sort of redemption for the 20-year-old.

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