48-member Indian contingent announced for Rifle/Pistol World Championships

The event is set to start from September 19th in Osijek, Croatia.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has announced a 48-member Indian Rifle and Pistol squad for the upcoming International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle/Pistol, scheduled from October 12-25, 2022, in Cairo, Egypt. A 24-member Shotgun squad was already announced earlier for the Shotgun World Championships beginning in Osijek, Croatia, from September 19, 2022. The team is loaded with World Championship first timers with Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar and silver medallist from the previous world championships, Anjum Moudgil, bringing in the weight of experience.

The experienced campaigners in the squad include the likes of Olympians, Manu Bhaker, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Elavenil Valarivan, besides Divyansh Singh Panwar, who has qualified in the junior section.

Shiva Narwal, who will be leading the Indian trio in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol for example, is not yet 17 and will be in his first worlds. Others like Swapnil Suresh Kusale, who is among the country’s top Rifle shooting exponents, particularly in small-bore, for some time now, will also be featuring in his first world championships. Swapnil was in form at the Baku ISSF World Cup stage earlier this year, where he won a first individual world cup stage gold, a silver in Men’s 3P as well as a mixed 3P gold.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar on the other hand will also be competing in his first world championship and his rise in Men’s Rifle 3 Positions in the last couple of years, has been nothing short of phenomenal.

The ISSF World Championships are considered by the global Shooting Sport community as the ultimate prize in the sport. Some Shooting athletes have been on record to say that it is more coveted than the Olympics.