Indian skeet shooters begin World Cup campaign in Tangier

The Indian skeet shooting team will begin its campaign at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup Tangier 2026 on Friday at the Club Tangérois de Tir. The tournament marks the opening event of the 2026 international shotgun shooting season and has attracted a strong field featuring several Olympic and world champions.

The skeet competition will begin with 75 targets for both men and women on the opening day, followed by 50 targets and the finals on Sunday.

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India has fielded the maximum quota of six shooters each in the men’s and women’s events, along with two additional athletes in both categories competing for ranking points.

The women’s competition features a star-studded lineup led by reigning Olympic champion Francisca Crovetto Chadid of Chile, who is returning to international competition after maternity leave. She will be joined by the current world champion Samantha Simonton of the United States. Also in the fray are Italy’s double Olympic and double world champion Diana Bacosi, former world champion Dania Jo Vizzi of the USA and Kazakhstan’s world championship medallist Assem Orynbay.

India’s women’s squad includes Olympian Maheshwari Chauhan along with siblings Darshana Rathore and Yashasvi Rathore. Yashasvi, the younger of the two sisters, finished runner-up at the 68th National Championships and also secured silver in the junior category at the Asian Championships in Shymkent last year. Areeba Khan and Mansi Raghuwanshi will participate in the event for ranking points.

The men’s skeet competition features a strong 82-shooter field. Among the leading contenders are 2025 World Championship bronze medallist Emil Kjeldgaard Petersen of Denmark, World Cup Final winner Christian Elliot of the USA, Italy’s double Olympic champion Gabriele Rossetti and Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Jesper Hansen of Denmark. Also in contention is Qatar’s former world champion and Asian Games gold medallist Masoud Saleh Al-Athba.

India’s challenge in the men’s event will be led by experienced shooters Man Singh and Parampal Singh Guron, alongside Jyotiraditya Singh Sisodiya, who will be making his senior international debut.

Man Singh, a former Asian champion, returns to the national squad after a three-year gap, while Parampal last represented India in 2022. Sisodiya had earlier won junior bronze at the Asian Championships in Shymkent and will now look to make an impression at the senior level.
Sukhbir Singh Harika and junior national champion Harmehar Singh Lally will compete for ranking points.

Meanwhile, Angad Vir Singh Bajwa, who represented India until last year, will be competing for Canada for the first time.