ISSF World C'ship Shotgun: Focus shifts to trap events as India look to renew medal hunt

New Delhi, Oct 14 (IANS) After the conclusion of the skeet events, attention now turns to the trap competition, as the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship Shotgun 2025, enters its second phase in Athens, Greece.

Starting on Wednesday, six Indian trap shooters - Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat, and Kirti Gupta in women’s and Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, and Bhowneesh Mendiratta in men’s trap, will take to the Malakasa Shooting Range in the Greek capital for the first 50 targets of the qualification round.

The women’s trap event promises a competitive line-up, led by defending World Champion Lin Yi-Chun of Chinese Taipei. The 80-athlete field also includes World No.1 Lada Denisova (AIN), World No.2 Silvana Stanco of Italy, World No.3 Alessandra Perilli of San Marino, and World No.4 Carey Jeana Garrison of the USA. Other leading names include Paris Olympic champion Adriana Ruano (Guatemala).

Leading India’s charge will be Asian Champion and World No.8 Neeru Dhanda, who has been in consistent form this season with a fourth-place finish at the Lonato World Cup and a top-six performance in the Buenos Aires Mixed Team event. She will be joined by Aashima Ahlawat, Asian Championship bronze medalist, and Kirti Gupta, who completes the Indian women’s triad.

In the men’s section, veteran Zoravar Singh Sandhu, currently ranked World No.12, will spearhead the Indian challenge alongside former Junior World Champion Vivaan Kapoor, and Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who claimed silver at the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan.

The men’s trap event will see participation from 141 athletes, including reigning World Champion Giovanni Cernogoraz of Croatia, who will be joined by his 2023 podium companions Marián Kovačócy of Slovakia and Khaled Al-Mudhaf of Kuwait. Paris Olympic gold medalist Nathan Hales of Great Britain and bronze medalist Jean Pierre Brol of Guatemala (World No.4) are also among the headliners in a stacked field.

The competition will also feature top-ranked shooters, including World No.1 Mauro De Filippis (Italy), William Hinton (USA, World No.2), Walton Eller (USA, World No.3), and Giovanni Pellielo (Italy, World No.5), ensuring a high-calibre battle for the podium.

The trap qualification rounds will begin on Wednesday with 50 targets each for men and women, followed by another 50 on October 16, and a final 25 on October 17. After 125 targets in qualification, the top six from each category will move to the finals for World Championship medals. The women’s trap final is scheduled for 5:30 PM IST, followed by the men’s final at 7:00 PM IST on the same day.

--IANS

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