Prithviraj Tondaiman emerged as a shining star for India at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup held in Lonato, Italy, as he claimed the bronze medal in the trap event. Demonstrating his prowess, Prithviraj secured the third position in the final round with a total of 34 points. This success marked his second individual ISSF World Cup medal, building upon his earlier bronze achievement in Doha back in March. The gold medal in the men’s trap event was clinched by Nathan Hales from Britain, who scored an impressive 49 points, while Qi Ying from China secured the silver medal with 48 points.
During the qualifying round, Prithviraj maintained a strong performance, securing the third position with a total of 122 points. Across the five-round qualification series, he consistently achieved scores of 23, 25, 24, 25, and 25. However, fellow Indian shooters Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Zoravar Singh Sandhu, who had previously secured Paris 2024 Olympics quotas, were unable to progress beyond the qualification stage in the men’s trap event. Mendiratta finished in the 16th position with 120 points, while Sandhu secured the 66th position with 115 points.
In the women’s trap event, the Indian participants faced tough competition but were unable to advance beyond the qualification round. Shreyasi Singh, the 2018 Commonwealth Games champion, concluded in 36th place with a score of 111 points. Manisha Keer secured the 39th position with the same score, while Rajeshwari Kumari finished in 58th place with 106 points.
Turning to the men’s skeet event, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, a two-time Olympian, concluded the qualifying round in the 116th position with a score of 112 points. Angad Vir Singh Bajwa secured the 74th position with 117 points, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka finished 55th with 119 points, and Gurjoat Khangura secured the 82nd position with 116 points.
In the women’s individual skeet event, Indian shooters Ganemat Sekhon and Darshna Rathore narrowly missed qualifying for the finals. Sekhon finished in ninth place with 120 points, closely missing out on a spot in the medal round. Rathore secured the 65th position with 104 points, while Maheshwari Chauhan concluded in 36th place with 114 points.
Overall, India finished ninth in the medals tally, with the United States claiming the top position with two gold medals and one silver. It is worth noting that the ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Italy served as a qualifying event for the upcoming Paris Olympics.