New Delhi: Some of India’s finest junior shooting talents will be looking to make their mark on home turf at the ISSF Junior World Cup, starting Thursday at the Karni Singh Shooting Range. India has a deep reservoir of young talent in the sport, and the challenge for them will be to stay steady as they prepare for the tough transition to the senior level.
This is the second and final Junior World Cup of the year. Indian shooters dominated the earlier event in Suhl, Germany, one of the most prestigious junior events on the international circuit, finishing on top of the medals table with three gold, four silver, and four bronze medals. They carried that momentum into the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in August. Now, competing at home, they have another chance to showcase their potential.
Among the top names to watch are 17-year-old air rifle shooter Abhinav Shaw, the 2023 junior world champion; Suhl World Cup gold medallists Shambhavi Shravan Kshirsagar (10m air rifle) and Tejaswani (25m air pistol); Suhl silver medallist Raiza Dhillon (skeet); and Adriyan Karmakar, who has impressed in the 50m 3P and prone events, winning gold at the Asian Championships and two medals in Suhl.
“We have a good line-up of junior shooters. In air rifle and 3P we have some strong athletes, and this will be good exposure for them,” said national rifle coach Deepali Karmakar.
Deepali was struck by the composure shown by the teenagers at the Asian Championships (junior). “It was the first time I was seeing them, and they were so focused and patient in a very difficult, windy range. Otherwise they’re typical teenagers, always chattering, and lively but when it came to the match, they were very different. It was a treat to watch them.”
As someone who has run a successful junior programme for the NRAI, Deepali advised the athletes to make the most of their junior years instead of rushing into the senior circuit.
“I would advise their parents and coaches not to push them into seniors unnecessarily. At the junior level, they can gain valuable exposure, fine-tune their technique, experiment, and learn. If you move too quickly into seniors, where the competition is intense, you’re constantly under pressure to score. One bad day and you’re out of the team. Right now, they need to grow in a secure environment.”
India will field a strong team of 69 shooters. Though there will be no participation from China, the competition will be tough, with the United States (20 athletes), Italy (10), and 40 Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) among the 18 nations taking part. On Thursday, the men’s and women’s 50m rifle prone events will open the competition. Over the next seven days, 18 events across 15 Olympic and three non-Olympic disciplines will be contested, with 54 medals up for grabs.
