Olympic Games double-bronze medallist Manu Bhaker is the only one selected for two individual events by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for the year's first two World Cups which will kick-start the international shooting sports season for 2025.
The NRAI has announced a 35-member Indian team for the two-legged South American sojourn for both the combined (Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun) International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cups to be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina (Apr 1-11) and Lima, Peru (Apr 13-22) in just over five weeks from now.
Bhaker, who had a decent outing in the National Selection Trials, will line up for a start in the women’s 10m air pistol and the women’s 25m pistol events and will be hoping to triumph in both to give her season a rousing start.
The other Paris Olympians who have retained their place in the team are Anish and Vijayveer Sidhu (men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol), Esha Singh (women’s 25m pistol), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions), Sift Kaur Samra and Shriyanka Sadangi (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions), Arjun Babuta (men’s 10m air rifle), Prithviraj Tondaiman (men’s trap), Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet) and Raiza Dhillon (women’s skeet).
A national camp ahead of the team’s departure is scheduled to begin at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting range in Delhi on March 14.
Sharing his thoughts on the first Indian team post the successful Paris Olympics campaign, Kr. Sultan Singh, Secretary General, NRAI, said, “India’s best shooters will once again embark upon conquering the best in the world. The Government of India and the Ministry of Sports have been helping us immensely in fine-tuning our preparations and training and after the heartening performance in the Paris Olympics, a new responsibility rests on the entire Shooting fraternity to raise the bar even higher. We are confident that those selected for the international season openers will come out with flying colours.”
The biggest draw on the ISSF calendar this year will be the World Championships scheduled for October (Shotgun) and November (Rifle/Pistol). There will be a total of three World Cup stages for each discipline while two Junior World Cups, the second among them in New Delhi in September, are also scheduled. Also on the international roster, this year is the 16th Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in August.
Former India captain MS Dhoni inducted into ICC Hall of Fame
Legendary Indian wicketkeeper-batter and former captain MS Dhoni has been inducted into the prestigious ICC Hall of Fame, marking another glorious chapter in his storied cricket career.
Police complaint lodged against Virat Kohli over Bengaluru stampede tragedy
A police complaint has been lodged against cricketer Virat Kohli on Friday in Bengaluru in connection with the stampede near Chinnaswamy Stadium during a felicitation programme for RCB, which claimed 11 lives.
New FBM rule introduced as over 500 kabaddi players set to go under the hammer in PKL 12 auction
Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) Season 12 player auction, set to take place on May 31 and June 1 with top Indian and international kabaddi stars going under the hammer, sees exciting changes, including an updated Final Bid Match (FBM) rule and features a star-studded player pool with over 500 athletes available for bidding.
Hockey India names 24-member men's team for FIH Hockey Pro League European leg
Hockey India on Thursday announced the 24-member Indian men’s team for the European leg of FIH Hockey Pro League 2024-25, which is scheduled to take place in Amstelveen, the Netherlands and Antwerp, Belgium from June 7 to 22.
A Moment of Pride and Inspiration: Dr. Arup Patari earned his PhD in Physics at the age of 52
In a compelling testament to perseverance, sacrifice, and lifelong dedication to education, Dr. Arup Patari (standing at the right side of the picture), a respected educator from Tripura, has earned his PhD in Physics at the age of 52. Currently a professor at Michael Madhusudan Dutta College (MMD College) in Sabroom
IPL 2025 suspended for one week, new schedule and venues to be announced in due course: BCCI
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that the IPL 2025 has been suspended with immediate effect, albeit for one week in the wake of the India-Pakistan border tensions.