Top five Indian male shooters to look out for in 2022

These elite marksmen have flown the country's flag proudly on the international stage.

The shooting contingent of India is amongst the world’s best. The country has won a medal in shooting in three of the last five editions of the Olympics, including a gold in 2008. The Indian shooters are usually strong medal hopefuls. Shooting is also well-known for its dynamic nature.

The rankings fluctuate very quickly depending on the performances and results. Only truly brilliant shooters manage to maintain a consistent ranking in their categories. The different categories (trap, skeet, 10m air rifle, 10m air pistol, 25m rapid fire pistol, 50m rifle 3 positions) also lend a lot of variety to the sport.

We take a look at the top five active male shooters in India in 2022.

5. Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil

As far as Indian shooting goes, Rudrankksh Patil is a safe bet. The 18-year-old had a brilliant junior career, notching a silver at the Junior World Championships in Lima in 2021. The 10m air rifle proponent is making his mark at the senior level as well, after impressing at the national shooting trials that were held recently.

He is currently ranked 14th in the world in his category. Rudrankksh will be looking to make his mark at the upcoming Asian Games and the 2024 Olympics as well.

4. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar

The 21-year-old Olympian is making huge strides in both the national and international arenas. Competing in the 50m rifle 3 positions event, Aishwary has earned several accolades, including a World Cup gold in 2021 in New Delhi. He was previously a potent force among the top Junior shooters.

Aishwary earned qualification to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where he finished 21st in the initial round. He is currently ranked 21st in the world in his category. He also won medals in the men’s team and mixed team events.

3. Anish Bhanwala

Anish Bhanwala is the next big thing in the Indian shooting. The youngster is making huge waves across national and international platforms in the 25m rapid fire pistol category. After an impressive junior career, Anish was quick to find his footing in the senior setup, notching a gold in the mixed and a silver in the men’s team events in the 2022 ISSF World Cup.

He finished 16th in the individual event at the World Cup after facing some top shooters. Despite missing out on a medal, his performance held great promise.

2. Bhavesh Shekhawat

Bhavesh Shekhawat is one of those shooters who is currently jumping up the ladder with spectacular performances in 2022. The 25-year-old is currently ranked 12th in the world in the 25m rapid fire pistol category.

Bhavesh made everyone take notice when he won the shooting nationals gold in November 2021. He followed it up with a silver in Cairo in the team event as well as a brilliant 12th in the individual event, narrowly missing out on qualification.

1. Saurabh Chaudhary

The nation’s foremost shooter is Saurabh Chaudhary. The youngster hailing from Meerut is currently ranked third in the world in the men’s 10m air pistol category. Saurabh has a splendid resume, having clinched eight gold, three silver and two bronze in ISSF World Cup competitions from 2019 to 2021. He also has three medals in the finals of the World Cup, including a gold at the 2018 edition, while also clinching gold at the Asian Games held in Indonesia.

The 19-year-old features in both the 10m air pistol men’s category as well as the mixed category and has been making India proud since the age of 16 when he triumphed in the Junior categories worldwide, including a gold at the Youth Olympics. He made his first Olympic appearance at the 2020 Olympic Games, finishing seventh after qualifying first.

Despite, losing out on a medal, it was a motivating performance from the youngster, as he became the only Indian shooter to advance to the finals. His most recent victory came at the ISSF World Cup held in Cairo. He bagged the gold to open India’s account at the event.

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