India Renewed Medal Search in Trap Events at World Championships
As the excitement builds, India is set to renew its quest for medals in the trap shooting events at the World Championships. Starting tomorrow, October 15, six talented Indian trap shooters will compete at the Malakasa Shooting Range in the Greek capital. The participants include Neeru Dhanda, Aashima Ahlawat, and Kirti Gupta in the women's category, and Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, and Bhowneesh Mendiratta in the men's category.
Women's Trap Competition: A Tough Line-Up
The women's trap event promises to be fiercely competitive, featuring a remarkable field of 80 athletes. Among the contenders is the defending World Champion, Lin Yi-Chun from Chinese Taipei. Other top competitors include:
- World No.1 Lada Denisova (AIN)
- World No.2 Silvana Stanco (Italy)
- World No.3 Alessandra Perilli (San Marino)
- World No.4 Carey Jeana Garrison (USA)
- Paris Olympic champion Adriana Ruano (Guatemala)
Leading India's charge will be Neeru Dhanda, the Asian Champion and World No.8, who has demonstrated consistent form this season. Her recent achievements include a fourth-place finish at the Lonato World Cup and a top-six performance in the Buenos Aires Mixed Team event. Joining her are:
- Aashima Ahlawat - Asian Championship bronze medallist
- Kirti Gupta - completing the Indian women's triad
Men's Trap Competition: A Stacked Field
In the men's category, veteran shooter Zoravar Singh Sandhu, currently ranked World No.12, will lead India’s challenge. He will be joined by former junior World Champion Vivaan Kapoor and Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who recently secured silver at the Asian Championship in Kazakhstan.
The men's trap event boasts participation from 141 athletes, including:
- Reigning World Champion Giovanni Cernogoraz (Croatia)
- 2023 podium companions Marian Kovacocy (Slovakia) and Khaled Al-Mudhaf (Kuwait)
- Paris Olympic gold medallist Nathan Hales (Great Britain)
- Bronze medallist Jean Pierre Brol (Guatemala, World No.4)
The competition will also see top-ranked shooters, such as:
- World No.1 Mauro De Filippis (Italy)
- World No.2 William Hinton (USA)
- World No.3 Walton Eller (USA)
- World No.5 Giovanni Pellielo (Italy)
Competition Schedule and Medal Rounds
The trap qualification rounds will commence on October 15, with each shooter aiming for 50 targets in both the men's and women's categories. The schedule is as follows:
- October 15 - First 50 targets
- October 16 - Second 50 targets
- October 17 - Final 25 targets
After completing 125 targets in the qualification rounds, the top six shooters from each category will advance to the finals, where they will compete for World Championship medals. The finals for the women's trap event are set for 5:30 PM IST, followed by the men's final at 7:00 PM IST on the same day.
Watch the Finals Live
Fans can catch all the action live, as the finals of the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025 will be streamed on the ISSF YouTube channel.