Manu Bhaker to lead 35-member Indian shooting team in South America World Cups

Ace pistol shooter Manu Bhaker will lead a 35-member Indian shooting contingent in the ISSF World Cups scheduled in South America this April. The squad includes several Paris Olympians, with events set to take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina (April 1-11) and Lima, Peru (April 13-22).

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Bhaker, recently honored with the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award for her two bronze medals in Paris, will compete in the women's 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events. She will be joined by prominent shooters such as Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu, Esha Singh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, and Sift Kaur Samra.

Before heading to South America, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) will conduct a training camp at the Karni Singh Shooting Range from March 14. NRAI has also appointed experienced coaches, including Jaspal Rana (high-performance coach for 25m pistol) and Jitu Rai (10m air pistol), to prepare the shooters for future challenges, including the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

"There will be a total of three World Cup stages for each discipline while two junior World Cups, the second among them in New Delhi in September, are also scheduled. Also on the international roster this year is the 16th Asian Championships in Kazakhstan in August," said NRAI in a statement.

With multiple international competitions ahead, including the ISSF World Championships in October and November, NRAI secretary-general Sultan Singh emphasized the need for Indian shooters to raise their performance standards. "We are confident that those selected for the international season openers will come out with flying colours," he said.