Indian Shooters Aim for Redemption at Almaty World Cup, Naruka and Raiza Lead Charge

Almaty: India’s shooting contingent, led by Olympians Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Raiza Dhillon, and Mairaj Ahmad Khan, is set to compete at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup 2026 beginning Sunday in Almaty. The team will be looking to make a strong comeback after failing to secure a medal in the season opener in Tangier, Morocco.

This marks the second of four Shotgun World Cup stages scheduled this year, with participation from 284 shooters representing 42 countries. India has named a 20-member squad for the Almaty leg, including eight shooters competing under the Ranking Points Only (RPO) category, with a few changes from the previous lineup.

Asian champion Naruka returns after skipping the Morocco event and will lead the men’s skeet challenge alongside veteran Mairaj. In the women’s skeet category, Raiza Dhillon will spearhead India’s campaign.

The men’s trap team sees a reshuffle, with new faces stepping in. Vivaan Kapoor will lead India’s hopes in the discipline this time around.

The competition carries significant weight, as gold medallists in each event will earn direct qualification for the ISSF World Cup Final, scheduled to be held in Rome in December.

Where to watch: The finals will be streamed live on Olympics.com, though there will be no television broadcast in India.

India Squad Overview:

• Men’s Skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Gurjoat Singh, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill (RPO), Abhay Singh Sekhon (RPO)
• Men’s Trap: Ahvar Rizvi, Vivaan Kapoor, Shapath Bharadwaj, Ali Aman Elahi (RPO), Udaivir Singh Jaijee (RPO)
• Women’s Trap: Pragati Dubey, Neeru, Manisha Keer, Vidhi Singh (RPO), Varsha Varman (RPO)
• Women’s Skeet: Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Ganemat Sekhon, Raiza Dhillon, Rashmmi Rathore (RPO), Vanshika Tiwari (RPO)
• Mixed Team Trap: Ahvar Rizvi, Pragati Dubey, Vivaan Kapoor, Neeru

Finals Schedule (IST):

• May 5 (Tuesday): Women’s Skeet – 4:00 PM | Men’s Skeet – 7:30 PM
• May 9 (Saturday): Women’s Trap – 4:00 PM | Men’s Trap – 5:30 PM
• May 10 (Sunday): Mixed Team Trap – 4:30 PM

India will be hoping for a much-improved performance in Almaty as the road to the season-ending finals gathers momentum.

With inputs from IANS