New Delhi, Oct 9 (NationPress) India’s skeet shooters are gearing up to showcase their skills at the Malakasa Shooting Range in Athens, Greece, as the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025 commences on Friday. The tournament will feature the initial two qualifying rounds for both the men’s and women’s skeet categories.

The men’s skeet team is spearheaded by Olympians Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Anantjeet Singh Naruka, recently named the Asian Champion, along with Bhavtej Singh Gill rounding out the squad. In the women’s category, the team will be led by Olympian and former Junior World Championship silver medallist Raiza Dhillon, supported by Ganemat Sekhon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal.

Naruka, following his strong performance at the recent Asian Championships in Shymkent, is set to face off against a formidable group of 121 competitors. Leading this competition is Vincent Hancock from the United States, a four-time Olympic gold medallist and three-time World Champion, widely regarded as one of the greatest skeet shooters in history. Mairaj, recognized as India’s most decorated international skeet shooter, aims to utilize his vast experience in pursuit of his third individual ISSF medal.

The Paris 2024 gold medallist Hancock, who previously clinched gold in Lonato this year, will be joined by Paris Olympic silver medallist Conner Prince, along with 2023 World Championship medalists Eetu Kallioinen of Finland (silver) and Azmy Mehelba of Egypt (bronze).

The men's competition is further elevated by numerous world-ranked shooters, including World No.1 Christian Elliott (USA), who captured gold in Buenos Aires and silver in Lima; World No.3 Hector Andres Flores Barahona (Chile); World No.4 Jakub Tomecek (Czechia); and World No.6 Daniel Korcak (Czechia), the bronze medallist from Lonato.

Additionally, the field includes World No.8 Henrik Jansson of Sweden, the silver medallist at Lonato, alongside Denmark’s Jesper Hansen, ranked No.10 globally and the Nicosia silver medallist, creating a highly competitive atmosphere.

The women’s skeet event comprises 63 competitors vying for the top titles. Raiza Dhillon enters this event after securing consecutive silver medals at the Junior World Cup in Suhl and New Delhi, in addition to finishing fifth at the senior Lima World Cup earlier this year.

Ganemat Sekhon, who has previously won a silver medal at the Junior World Championship, adds significant depth and experience to the Indian squad in her quest for a third individual ISSF medal.

Leading the global rankings is World No.1 Samantha Simonton from the USA, who took gold in Lonato and earned silver in both the Lima and Nicosia World Cup stages. She is joined by fellow American Dania Jo Vizzi, ranked World No.3 and the Baku World Championship silver medallist. Vizzi has had a remarkable season, with gold in Buenos Aires, silver in Lonato, and bronze in Lima.

Also competing are World No.2 Arina Kuznetsova (AIN), the gold medallist from Nicosia and bronze medallist from Buenos Aires, and Greece’s Emmanouela Katzouraki (World No.6), the bronze medallist from the Baku World Championship.

Veteran American sports icon Kimberly Rhode (World No.11), a six-time Olympian and three-time Olympic gold medallist, teams up with China’s Jiang Yiting (World No.7), junior world record holder and Paris 2024 mixed team bronze medallist, to compose a highly competitive women’s field.

The skeet qualification rounds are set to commence at 11:30 am IST on October 10, with athletes shooting 50 targets each on Day 1 and Day 2, and then 25 targets on October 12. Following a total of 125 targets, the top six shooters in both men’s and women’s categories will proceed to the finals, scheduled for 5:30 pm IST (women’s) and 7:00 pm IST (men’s) on Sunday, where the new World Champions will be crowned.

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