ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol Day 1: Indian Athletes to Compete for Gold Medals

The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Championship Rifle/Pistol officially begins its competition phase in Cairo on Saturday, November 8. A robust 15-member Indian contingent is in action on Day 1, with high expectations for a strong start as they contest for four gold medals across five events.

The day's schedule features two major Olympic events culminating in finals, alongside two non-Olympic pistol finals. With four gold medals set to be decided, the day is one of high-stakes timing and precision.

For the Indian contingent, the morning will be devoted to navigating challenging qualification rounds, while the pressure cooker of the evening awaits, with the highly anticipated Women’s 10m Air Rifle Final scheduled for 5:00 PM IST and the Men’s 10m Air Rifle Final set for 9:00 PM IST.

Rifle Stars Return to Home Ground Glory at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol

The spotlight is firmly fixed on the Men's and Women's 10m Air Rifle events, both popular Olympic disciplines. In the Men's event, India's challenge is spearheaded by former World Champion Rudrankksh Patil, who returns to the very venue where he clinched his world title in 2022.

Patil, who secured an individual gold at the Buenos Aires World Cup this year, is joined by Olympic finalist Arjun Babuta, a silver medalist at the Lima World Cup, and young Vishal Singh. This formidable trio enters the competition as strong medal favourites.

The Women’s 10m Air Rifle event presents an equally high-stakes opportunity. Two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan leads the Indian line-up, competing alongside Meghana Sajjanar and Shreya Agrawal. They face a massive qualification field of over 120 shooters.

Pistol Team Guns for Non-Olympic Medals at ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol

Beyond the rifle events, two gold medals in the non-Olympic disciplines of Men's and Women's 50m Pistol will also be decided. India's pistol challenge includes Kamaljeet, Ravinder Singh, and Yogesh Kumar in the men’s event, and Parisha, Priyanka Patel, and Sakshi Suryavanshi in the women’s event, all aiming for the podium.

The campaign for the Men’s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol will also begin today, with Olympian Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh, and rookie Sameer competing in the first stage of qualification.

With a promising blend of seasoned Olympians and talented newcomers, the Indian shooting squad is expected to kick off the World Championships with a medal haul, setting an ambitious tone for the rest of the competition.

Edited by Sooryanarayanan Sesha