Naruka, Dhanda lead India’s 12-member squad for World Shotgun c’ships

India will aim to make a strong statement on the global stage when a 12-member squad competes at the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025, scheduled from October 8 to 19 at the Malakasa Shooting Range in Athens. The event will feature five Olympic disciplines, men’s and women’s trap and skeet, along with trap mixed team, spread across seven days of top-tier competition beginning October 10.

With 68 nations and 406 shooters entered, including six reigning Olympic medallists, the championship promises a world-class field. For India, it represents both a test and an opportunity to build on the country’s growing presence in shotgun shooting and chase its first global medal in nearly two decades since Manavjeet Singh Sandhu’s historic gold in men’s trap in 2006.

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Leading India’s contingent are Asian champions Anantjeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet) and Neeru Dhanda (women’s trap), both looking to extend their rich form against the world’s elite. They are joined by Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who recently bagged silver in men’s trap at the Shymkent Asian Championships, and Aashima Ahlawat, a bronze medallist in women’s trap at the same event.

India’s skeet campaign will also see the experienced Mairaj Ahmad Khan, a two-time Olympian, and Bhavtegh Singh Gill, while Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Vivaan Kapoor bolster the men’s trap unit. In women’s skeet, Olympian Raiza Dhillon teams up with Ganemat Sekhon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal, all of whom will be keen to continue India’s recent upward trend in international events.

Fierce competition awaits in skeet and trap

In men’s skeet, Naruka and company face a formidable challenge from a star-studded line-up led by four-time Olympic gold medallist Vincent Hancock and his American compatriot Conner Prince, the Paris 2024 silver medallist. The field of 121 shooters also includes Finland’s Eetu Kallioinen and Egypt’s Azmy Mehelba, alongside world No.1 Christian Elliott (USA).

The women’s skeet promises equally intense competition, headlined by world No.1 Samantha Simonton and compatriot Dania Jo Vizzi, both from the USA. Greece’s Emmanouela Katzouraki, ranked sixth in the world, will look to make the most of home conditions.

In men’s trap, India’s trio of Mendiratta, Kapoor and Sandhu will line up against reigning world champion Giovanni Cernogoraz (Croatia), Olympic champion Nathan Hales (Great Britain), and world No.1 Mauro De Filippis (Italy).

The women’s trap field features defending champion Lin Yi-Chun (Chinese Taipei), Olympic gold medallist Adriana Ruano (Guatemala), and world No.2 Silvana Stanco (Italy). India’s Neeru Dhanda, currently world No.8, will lead the country’s charge alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Kirti Gupta.

India fielding two teams in mixed trap

In the trap mixed team, India will field two pairs, Neeru Dhanda-Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Aashima Ahlawat-Zoravar Singh Sandhu against strong international combinations such as Mitchell Illes and Penny Smith (Australia) and Wan-Yu Liu and Kun-Pi Yang (Chinese Taipei).

Every medal winner in Athens will automatically qualify for the ISSF World Cup Final 2025 in Doha later this year, giving India’s shooters not just a shot at history, but also a chance to confirm their place among the world’s elite.