ISSF World Cup: First batch of Indian shooters depart for season opener
It will be a combined World Cup in which competitions will be held in all the three disciplines of rifle, pistol and shotgun shootings.;
The Indian contingent at the airport
NEW DELHI: The first batch of 22 Indian shooters accompanied by 13 support staff left for Buenos Aires on Wednesday to participate in the year's first ISSF World Cup, which will begin from April 3 in the Argentina capital.
It will be a combined World Cup in which competitions will be held in all the three disciplines of rifle, pistol and shotgun shootings.
A total of 35 Indian shooters will participate across 15 medal events including 12 individual and three mixed team competitions.
Double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker is the only athlete to have made the cut in two individual events.
The remaining members of the squad will depart on March 29 as their competitions begin in the latter stages of the tournament.
Barring a couple of exceptions, all shooters reported to the national camp organised by the National Rifle Association of India at the Karni Singh Shooting ranges in Delhi from March 14 for final preparations ahead of a double World Cup leg in South America, with Lima, Peru hosting the second tournament, right after the season-opener at Buenos Aires.
The Indian team for the first two World Cup stages is a mix of youth and experience with as many as 16 Olympians in the squad, besides former world champions and world number ones.
However, the focus will also be on an exciting group of youngsters such as Suruchi, Sainyam, Arya Borse, Sonam Maskar, Narmada Nithin, Ashi Chouksey and Bhavtegh Gill, who will all be looking to win their first individual ISSF World Cup stage medal.
The tournament will also see a few comebacks. Saurabh Chaudhary, a former world number one, will be making a World Cup comeback after a gap of close to a year and a half, and same is the case with seasoned pistol shooter Gurpreet Singh.