New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) India’s mixed team trap pairings finished outside the medal round at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun in Tangier, Morocco, as the squad concluded its engagements in the year’s first world cup leg without a medal.
India 1, represented by Prithviraj Tondaiman (24,22,23) and Kirti Gupta (22,22,21), shot a total of 134 after three rounds in qualification, to finish 18th in the 33-team competition. The top four pairs make the final.
India 2, comprising Kynan Chenai (25,21,22) and Rajeshwari Kumari (18,22,22), ended 25th with a tally of 130. The crack Italian pair of Daniele Resca and Jessica Rossi topped the table with 147.
With this, India ended the competition without any success.
Over 270 athletes from 43 countries were in the fray for five gold medals in the five Olympic shotgun events, including reigning world and Olympic champions, eager to test their sharpness ahead of a long and critical international season.
The 20-member Indian team features notable athletes, including Olympians Maheshwari Chauhan, Kynan Chenai, and Prithviraj Tondaiman, all aiming to make a strong start to the international season.
The Indian shotgun squad last competed as a full team internationally last year at the Athens world championships, where senior pro Zoravar Singh Sandhu won a historic bronze in the men’s trap.
Olympian Maheshwari Chauhan fired a 69 on the first day of the qualification round at the Tangier Shooting Club in Morocco, keeping her within range of a berth in the final of the women’s skeet competition. Teammates Darshna Rathore and Yashasvi Rathore shot scores of 64 each to lie in 25th and 26th spots, respectively.
Indian trap shooters Kynan Chenai and Aashima Ahlawat fought hard but missed reaching the finals of the men’s and women’s trap competitions by an identical one-point margin.
Winners in individual events in Morocco will earn coveted qualification spots for the ISSF World Cup Final, scheduled to be held in Rome in December.
The ISSF bandwagon moves now for the year’s first Rifle/Pistol World Cup leg scheduled between April 5-13, 2026, in Granada, Spain.
--IANS
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