The ISSF World Championship is set to commence in Doha, Qatar, on November 1, featuring two-time Olympic champion Manu Bhaker and rising star Neeru Dhanda as key representatives for India.
This championship marks the beginning of the qualification process for shooters aiming for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics. According to Olympics.com, the event will include rifle, pistol, and shotgun competitions, with a total of 36 Olympic quotas available across 12 shooting events.
Understanding the Qualification Process
While national federations will determine team representation, securing an Olympic quota does not automatically ensure an athlete’s participation in the Games. The World Championships represent a significant opportunity for qualification in the LA 2028 shooting cycle, with 54 Indian shooters competing in various Olympic and non-Olympic events.
Team Composition and Notable Athletes
India will compete in all 12 Olympic shooting disciplines, with 35 shooters participating, including Manu in the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events. Neeru Dhanda enters the competition following a remarkable performance at the Asian Games 2026, where she won two gold medals and a silver in trap shooting. Other notable participants include Asian Games silver medalists Elavenil Valarivan and Himanshu Dhillon in the 10m air rifle events, and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions.
ISSF World Championship 2026: Indian Squad Overview
*Olympic Events – Men’s 10m air rifle: Parth Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Paarth Makhija – Women’s 10m air rifle: Shambhavi Kshirsagar, Sonam Maskar, Elavenil Valarivan – Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Niraj Kumar, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Akhil Sheoran – Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Vidarsa K Vinod, Ashi Chouksey, Anjum Moudgil – Men’s 10m air pistol: Ravin Kumar, Jaypal Malviya, Kamaljeet Sohlot – Women’s 10m air pistol: Sainyam Vij, Suruchi Singh, Manu Bhaker – Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol: Suraj Sharma, Gurpreet Singh, Bhavesh Shekhawat – Women’s 25m pistol: Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Divya TS – Men’s skeet: Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka – Women’s skeet: Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Ganemat Sekhon, Raiza Dhillon – Men’s trap: Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor, Udaivir Singh Jaijee – Women’s trap: Neeru Dhanda, Manisha Keer, Pragati Dubey – 10m air rifle mixed team: Parth Mane-Shambhavi Kshirsagar, Himanshu Dhillon-Sonam Maskar – 10m air pistol mixed team: Ravin Kumar-Sainyam, Jaypal Malviya-Suruchi Singh – Skeet mixed team: Mairaj Ahmad Khan-Raiza Dhillon, Bhavtegh Singh Gill-Ganemat Sekhon – Trap mixed team: Zoravar Singh Sandhu-Neeru Dhanda, Vivaan Kapoor-Manisha Keer
Non-Olympic Events
*Non-Olympic Events – Men’s 50m rifle prone: Sidharth Gaur, Swapnil Kusale, Akhil Sheoran – Women’s 50m rifle prone: Ayushi Podder, Priya Singh, Sift Kaur Samra – Men’s 50m pistol: Saurabh Chaudhary, Amanpreet Singh, Ravinder Singh – Women’s 50m pistol: Aishwarya Balehosur, Parisha Gupta – Men’s 25m centre fire pistol: Amanpreet Singh, Ankur Goel, Rajkanwar Singh Sandhu – Men’s 25m standard pistol: Harsh Gupta, Jatin, Udit Joshi – Women’s 25m standard pistol: Simranpreet Kaur Brar, Manvi Jain, Niveditha Nair.