The cream of Indian shooters, fresh from their efforts in the Commonwealth Games, will now set their sights on the season’s second World Cup starting here on Sunday.
For Ravi Kumar, Deepak Kumar, Mehuli Ghosh, Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela, it will be a chance to give a strong start for India in the air rifle events on the opening day of competition.
The World Cup is of considerable significance as it will be the same venue for the World Championship later in the season, that will offer the first set of Olympic quota places. Youngsters like Manu Bhaker and Anish Bhanwala will have a chance to gauge their prowess in a field that will feature shooters from 78 countries.
India will field 38 shooters in rifle, pistol and shotgun, including the ones entered for the MQS section. Since there will be no rifle prone, free pistol and double trap events, Gagan Narang, Chain Singh, Mohd. Asab, Ankur Mittal and Varsha Varman will miss this World Cup.
India had topped the medals table ahead of the US, China, France, Romania etc., in the last World Cup in Mexico, with four gold, a silver and four bronze medals.
Similarly, in the Junior World Cup in Sydney prior to the CWG, Indian shooters finished second behind China with nine gold, five silver and eight bronze medals.
