Neeru, Suruchi and Himanshu Dhillon Among Shooters to Begin World Championship Preparations in Delhi

India’s leading rifle, pistol and shotgun shooters will begin their final domestic preparations for the ISSF World Championship Doha 2026 at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on October 22. 

The national camp will bring together selected athletes across Olympic shooting disciplines ahead of the world championships, scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, from November 1 to 14. The preparations will be particularly significant as the Doha championships mark the beginning of the Olympic qualification process for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. A total of 36 Olympic quota places will be available across the competition, adding importance to India’s preparations as its shooters target strong performances against the world’s leading competitors.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has divided the camp into phases according to the athletes’ respective disciplines, allowing the national squads to complete their preparation before travelling to Qatar.

The first phase begins on October 22 and runs until October 29 for the 10m rifle and pistol athletes, the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol squad and the skeet contingent. The 50m rifle and women’s 25m pistol athletes will remain at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range until October 31. The trap contingent will join the camp later, training from October 28 to November 4.

The staggered schedule brings together India’s selected shooters for discipline-specific preparation in the final days before the championship. The camp will focus on refining performance and establishing the benchmarks required to compete successfully at the highest international level.

Dr. Pierre Beauchamp, High Performance Director of the NRAI, highlighted the importance of the training phase, particularly in preparing athletes to progress from qualification rounds into finals.

“The preparatory camp in New Delhi is an important phase for our athletes as they fine-tune their performance ahead of the ISSF World Championship in Doha. Our focus is on working closely with the coaches to establish clear performance benchmarks for every athlete, aligned with what is required to qualify for the finals at the highest level of international competition,” Beauchamp said.

He added that the team would closely monitor qualification-to-final conversion and podium conversion percentages to assess preparedness and competitiveness. “With the Olympic qualification process for Los Angeles 2028 beginning at the World Championship, this camp will be crucial in ensuring that our athletes are technically, physically and mentally ready to deliver their best,” he said.

Strong Rifle and Pistol Contingents Named

The 10m air rifle men’s squad features Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon and Paarth Makhija. The women’s team comprises Shambhavi Kshirsagar, Sonam Uttam Maskar and Elavenil Valarivan. In the 50m rifle events, Niraj Kumar, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Akhil Sheoran will represent the men’s contingent. Vidarsa K Vinod, Ashi Chouksey and Anjum Moudgil form the women’s squad.

The 10m air pistol men’s team includes Ravin Kumar, Jaypal Malviya and Kamaljeet, while Sainyam, Suruchi and Manu Bhaker make up the women’s contingent. The 25m pistol events will feature Suraj Sharma, Gurpreet Singh and Bhavesh Shekhawat in the men’s squad. Esha Singh, Manu Bhaker and Divya T.S. will compete in the women’s event.

The selection includes athletes across several established shooting disciplines, with the camp providing an opportunity to work on consistency and competition readiness before the international challenge in Doha.

The shotgun contingent will also be an important part of India’s preparations. The women’s trap team comprises Neeru, Manisha Keer and Pragati Dubey, while Zoravar Singh Sandhu, Vivaan Kapoor and Udaiveer Singh Jaijee will represent India in the men’s event.

The skeet squads feature Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Anantjeet Singh Naruka in the men’s competition. Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Ganemat Sekhon and Raiza Dhillon form the women’s team. The trap athletes will join the national camp on October 28, with their training scheduled to continue until November 4. Their preparation will therefore extend closer to the start of the world championships than that of the rifle and pistol groups.

India’s preparations will cover mixed-team events alongside the individual disciplines. In air rifle mixed team, the selected pairs are Parth Mane and Shambhavi Kshirsagar, and Himanshu Dhillon and Sonam Uttam Maskar.

The air pistol mixed-team combinations are Ravin Kumar and Sainyam, and Jaypal Malviya and Suruchi. In skeet, Mairaj Ahmad Khan will pair with Raiza Dhillon, while Bhavtegh Singh Gill will team up with Ganemat Sekhon.

The trap mixed-team combinations feature Zoravar Singh Sandhu with Neeru, and Vivaan Kapoor with Manisha Keer. These combinations will form part of India’s overall preparation across the disciplines represented at the championships.

Doha Marks the Road to Los Angeles 2028

The ISSF World Championship will bring together leading international rifle, pistol and shotgun athletes over two weeks in Doha. For India, the tournament represents both a major competitive assignment and the beginning of the pathway towards Olympic qualification for Los Angeles 2028.

The availability of 36 quota places raises the stakes, although securing a quota will depend on performances in the relevant events and the applicable qualification rules. The New Delhi camp is the final domestic preparation phase before the selected athletes travel to Qatar. The NRAI’s emphasis on measurable performance benchmarks, qualification-to-final conversion and podium conversion reflects the importance of translating training into results on the international stage.

With the camp beginning on October 22, India’s shooters will have a short but crucial window to fine-tune their preparation. The focus now shifts to arriving in Doha technically prepared, physically ready and equipped to handle the pressure of a world championship that also opens the race for places at the 2028 Olympic Games.