Top five Indian shooters to watch out for at ISSF Shotgun World Championship

The shooters will be looking to replicate their performance from Changwon.

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championships are currently underway in Croatia. The competition will be held in Osijek and witness the discipline of shotgun shooting. Moreover, there will be both individual, doubles and mixed doubles events.

On top of that, there will be a variety of talents on display. As these events will include people competing across all ages. From the young rising prospects to the grizzly, wily veterans. Everyone will get a chance to showcase their skills. Deservingly so as these shooters come out of a rigorous World Cup series that preceded the finals. At the end of the series, eight shooters holding the highest qualification score are qualified for the ISSF World Cup final. A maximum of two athletes per nation can compete in each event.

In addition to this title, defenders are granted wild card entries. Plus the three medalists of the Olympic Games and the World Championships are also given a call. India is by far the most successful team in this contest. Sitting at the top with a total of 47 medals. However, India's performance in the shotgun division has always been its weaker side. The Indians would very much hope to change that in Croatia.

So today we are going to look at the top five Indian shotgun shooters who have the biggest chance of winning at the event. You definitely wouldn't want to miss these subcontinent shooters in action.

5. Shreyasi Singh

Shreyasi Singh is the highest-ranked female shooter representing India at the ISSF finals. The 39-ranked trap shooter has a lot of experience in the world circuit. She is a gold medalist in the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Moreover, she also has two previous silver medals at the same event. On top of that, she also won bronze in the double trap at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

Shreyasi is a player who has always shone on the big stages. So it wouldn't be surprising to watch her deliver for her country yet again. The Arjuna Award winner will surely look to draw inspiration from this and capitalize on the big stage.

4. Shapath Bharadwaj

Shapath Bharadwaj is the new shooting star of India. The Meerut-based lad won the bronze medal in the men's double trap in the ISSF World Championship Junior event.

The World 107-ranked shooter is certainly a force to reckon with. The youngster is a two-time bronze medalist at the ISSF World championships. Coached by Yoginder Pal Singh and Vikram Chopra Shapath he is definitely on the right track to becoming a world-level shooter. The right-handed shooter will surely be focused to exceed his previous best of 11th spot finish.

3. Vivaan Kapoor

Born in Jaipur, Vivaan Kapoor is another fine addition to India's shooting line-up. The 20-year-old has made quite a collection of medals in his cabinet. That included gold, six silver and a bronze.

Moreover just like Shapath Vivaan also won medals at the preceding World Series. He won silver at the team trap event in Nicosia. His overall performance at the ISSF World Series has seen him put decent scores. He scored 117, 109 and 116 in 2018,2019 and 2021 respectively. Vivaan has reached great heights within 6 years of his shooting career. So it goes without saying that something special can be very much expected from him.

2. Prithviraj Tondaiman

Unlike Shapath and Vivaan, Prithviraj is not new to the game. The 35-year-old is a relatively senior member of the squad. Tondaiman has already won three medals in team events. So his experience and understanding of the situation would very much come in handy.

Prithviraj has truly shone in the team events. His teamwork with the likes of Zorawar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, Kynan Chenai, Bhownees Mendiratta has produced medals. He has turned out the be the perfect partner and mentor to his younger teammates. Prithvi will be the difference maker for the nation in the Croatia finals.

1. Mairaj Ahmed Khan

Finally, we come down to number one on this list. Mairaj Ahmed Khan is without a doubt the man in form. He just finished the World Series in Changwon with a gold medal. This achievement made him the first Indian to achieve this remarkable feat in the ISSF World Cup in skeet shooting.

Khan is the holder of many accolades. He is the first Indian athlete to represent India in the SK125 event at the Rio Olympic Games. He won silver at the 2016 World Cup championship in Rio. This made Khan the only Indian to hold the World Cup title and Olympic quota at the same time. Being the most senior player in the group with that many accomplishments we can be assured that there will be fireworks from his shotgun at the event.