ISSF World Cup Hangzhou 2026: Elavenil Valarivan, Rudrankksh Patil Lead Gun For Glory Quartet

Four shooters from the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation's Gun For Glory (GFG) programme are set to represent India at the upcoming ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China, as the country's rifle shooters prepare to test themselves against a high-quality international field.

Olympians Elavenil Valarivan and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will lead the GFG contingent, while emerging rifle shooters Sakshi Sunil Padekar and Shahu Tushar Mane will also be part of India's challenge in Hangzhou.

The competition represents another important international assignment for Indian shooting, providing established names with an opportunity to compete for medals while offering the country's next generation valuable exposure at the highest level.

For the GFG quartet, the World Cup will also be an opportunity to translate months of preparation and strong domestic performances onto the international stage.

Elavenil Valarivan will compete in the Women's 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team events.

One of India's most experienced rifle shooters on the international circuit, Elavenil will once again be among the leading Indian medal prospects in Hangzhou. Her experience of competing at the Olympic Games and major ISSF competitions will be important in a discipline where the margins separating qualification from elimination can be extremely fine.

Rudrankksh Patil, meanwhile, has been entered in two individual disciplines the Men's 10m Air Rifle and 50m Rifle 3 Positions. The Olympian's participation across both events makes him one of the busiest members of the GFG contingent. Having established himself among India's leading rifle shooters, Rudrankksh will look to make an impact against a field expected to feature several of the world's top competitors.

While Elavenil and Rudrankksh provide international experience, the presence of Sakshi and Shahu highlights the emerging depth within India's rifle shooting programme.

Sakshi Sunil Padekar will compete in the Women's 10m Air Rifle, heading into the World Cup following an impressive period on the domestic circuit. Having spent more than three years within the Gun For Glory system, Sakshi's development has been significant. A former NCC cadet, she arrived at the academy with relatively limited technical exposure to elite-level shooting.

Since then, she has worked extensively on different aspects of her performance, including shooting position, equipment management and competition execution. Her progress has been reflected in recent results, with a national record further underlining her emergence as one of India's promising rifle shooters.

Ahead of the World Cup, however, Sakshi is keeping her approach simple rather than placing additional pressure on herself.

“My focus is on executing one shot at a time. That's the mindset that has worked for me and I want to carry the same confidence into the World Cup,” Sakshi said. “We've been working on a few technical aspects over the last few weeks, and I want to trust both my preparation and my instincts during competition. Every tournament is a learning opportunity, and I'm excited to test myself against the world's best.”

The Hangzhou competition will provide another opportunity for Sakshi to measure her progress against elite international opposition while gaining experience that could prove valuable in major competitions ahead.

Shahu Tushar Mane completes the four-member GFG contingent and will compete in the Men's 10m Air Rifle. Shahu has developed into one of India's consistent rifle shooters in recent seasons. His introduction to shooting came through a summer camp before he progressed through the junior ranks and represented India at multiple age-group international competitions.

His transition to senior competition has been aided by his time at Gun For Glory, where he has trained for approximately two-and-a-half years. According to Shahu, his development at the academy has extended beyond technical improvements, with considerable attention also given to the mental side of competition.

He heads to China in encouraging form after producing a national record-breaking performance in the air rifle trials.

Despite that achievement, Shahu is approaching the World Cup without setting a specific result-based target.

“I'm not going into the World Cup with a specific target. When I performed my best recently, I was simply enjoying the sport and staying present, and that's the approach I want to take again,” he said. “If I follow my routine, stay in the moment and enjoy competing, I know the results will take care of themselves. A medal would be special, but the priority is to perform to my potential.”

The presence of four GFG-trained shooters in the Indian contingent reflects the growing depth of the country's rifle programme.

While Elavenil and Rudrankksh arrive with extensive experience of competing on the global stage, Sakshi and Shahu represent a younger generation attempting to establish themselves in the senior international set-up. Competing at an ISSF World Cup brings a different level of pressure, with qualification scores often decided by the narrowest of margins. Maintaining technical consistency while managing the mental demands of competition will therefore be crucial.

For Sakshi and Shahu in particular, Hangzhou offers an opportunity to gain first-hand experience of competing against some of the world's leading shooters and understand the standards required to succeed consistently at the senior level.

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India has developed into a major force in international shooting over recent years, with increasing competition for places within the national team. Performances at events such as the Hangzhou World Cup will therefore carry significance not only in terms of medals but also in the longer-term development of the country's shooters.

With Elavenil Valarivan and Rudrankksh Patil providing experience and Sakshi Padekar and Shahu Mane arriving on the back of encouraging domestic performances, the Gun For Glory quartet will be looking to make its presence felt as India's shooters take aim at another successful international campaign in Hangzhou.