Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker and in-form trap shooter Neeru Dhanda will lead India’s challenge at the ISSF World Championship 2026 in Doha, Qatar, from November 1 to 14.
The World Championships, featuring rifle, pistol and shotgun competitions, will also mark the beginning of the qualification pathway for shooting at the LA 2028 Olympics.
A total of 36 Olympic quota places will be on offer in Doha, with three available in each of the 12 individual Olympic shooting events.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective teams at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the LA Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at LA28.
The World Championships will be the largest qualification opportunity of the LA 2028 cycle in shooting.
As many as 54 Indian shooters are entered across Olympic and non-Olympic events at the World Championships.
India will have representation in all 12 individual Olympic events. A total of 35 Indian shooters will feature across these disciplines, with Bhaker competing in two – the women’s 10m air pistol and 25m pistol.
The non-Olympic events will see 19 Indians in action.
Neeru, meanwhile, heads to Doha on the back of an impressive Asian Games 2026 campaign in Aichi-Nagoya, where she won two gold medals and a silver.
Asian Games mixed 10m air pistol gold medallists Suruchi Singh and Kamaljeet Sohlot will also be part of the Indian contingent in Doha.
The rifle contingent includes Asian Games silver medallists Elavenil Valarivan and Himanshu Dhillon in the women’s and men’s 10m air rifle events, respectively.
Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar will contest the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions while Olympian Anjum Moudgil will feature in the women’s event.
Along with Neeru, India’s shotgun challenge will feature Olympian Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, who will compete in the men’s skeet.
Paris 2024 bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale is also among India’s 54 entries but will compete only in the non-Olympic men’s 50m rifle prone event in Doha.
Sarabjot Singh, a Paris 2024 mixed team bronze medallist, is not part of India’s World Championship squad.
ISSF World Championship 2026: India squad
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
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/issf-world-championship-2026-shooting-india-squad
