India's Junior Shooting Stars Ready to Fire in Cairo as ISSF Junior World Cup Kicks Off

The season's first major test for India's junior shooters begins today as the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun gets underway at the Egypt International Olympic City in Cairo. 

With 284 athletes from 25 nations assembled at one of shooting sport's most prestigious junior stages, India fielding the largest contingent of any country arrives with intent, depth, and a roster that reads like a who's who of the country's next generation of champions.

Two medals will be decided on Day One, with the 10m Air Rifle Women and 10m Air Pistol Men events both concluding with finals on the opening day of competition. The qualification rounds for the rifle and pistol events are scheduled to begin in the early afternoon, with finals following in the evening. Also on the agenda for the first day are the qualification stages for 25m Pistol for both men and women, as well as 75 targets in Skeet for men and women setting the stage for a packed and action-packed opening.

India's first batch of 58 athletes along with support staff touched down in Cairo on Sunday, with the full 71-member contingent now in place. No other nation has assembled a squad of comparable size a reflection of both the depth of India's junior shooting programme and the seriousness with which the national federation views this tournament as a springboard to the Junior World Championships in Suhl, Germany, scheduled for June.

The 10m Air Rifle Women's event is where India's medal aspirations are perhaps strongest on Day One. Leading the charge is Shambhavi Kshirsagar, the Asian Junior record holder and reigning ISSF World Cup Suhl champion a name that will command respect in any range across the world. Alongside her is Anushka Thokur, the 2025 Asian Champion in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, bringing with her a depth of experience that belies her junior status. Rounding out a formidable six-member squad are Manyata Singh and Aneesha Sharma, who claimed silver and bronze respectively at the 2026 Asian Championships in New Delhi, 2024 Asian Championships bronze medallist Anvii Rathod, and Panaah Bhugra. With this lineup, India will be expected to feature prominently when the medals are decided.

The 10m Air Pistol Men's event carries perhaps the most compelling storyline of the day. Shiva Narwal, a former Junior World Champion and 2023 World Championship gold medallist in the mixed team event, returns to international competition after a three-year absence. His comeback alone makes this event unmissable. Whether ring rust plays a factor remains to be seen, but talent and competitive instinct of his calibre rarely disappear and a World Cup final appearance on his return would send a powerful signal ahead of the Junior Worlds. Joining Narwal is Abhinav Deshwal, the Deaflympics 2025 champion, alongside Abhinav Choudhary, Abhay Dhama, Himanshu Rana, and 17-year-old Chirag Sharma, whose youth and fearlessness could prove a wildcard factor.

In the 25m Pistol discipline, former World Championship and Junior World Championship medallist Sameer Gulia heads up India's representation and will be one to watch as competition progresses. India's Skeet contingent is equally well-staffed, with five men and four women set to take to the field, among them Risham Kaur Guron and Zorawar Singh Bedi, both known for their composure under pressure. The broader competitive landscape in Cairo is formidable. Hosts Egypt have entered 29 athletes, while Russia, competing under the Individual Neutral Athletes banner, has fielded a sizeable 43-member squad. Strong European nations including France, Great Britain, and Italy are also present in numbers, ensuring that medals will need to be earned against the very best the junior circuit has to offer.

For India, however, this tournament is about more than just medals on the table in Cairo. With the Junior World Championships looming in June, every performance here carries selection weight. Athletes will be keen to stake their claim for places in the Indian squad for Suhl the true blue-riband event of the junior calendar.

India's junior shooting programme has quietly become one of the country's most consistent medal-producing systems. Cairo is where the new season begins and if Day One is anything to go by, it promises to be a compelling one.