Manu Bhaker spearheads India's squad for Asian Shooting Championship

New Delhi, July 7 (IANS) National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has revealed the Indian squads for upcoming international competitions, including the senior squad for the 16th Asian Shooting Championship (ASC) Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, scheduled in Shymkent, Kazakhstan between August 16 to 30.

The other squads revealed include those for the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol in Ningbo, China, between September 7 to 17 and the junior India squads for the 16th ASC as well as for the ISSF Junior World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, scheduled in New Delhi between September 24 to October 2.

The ASC senior squad comprises 35 members for the 15 events, including three mixed team competitions. Double Olympic bronze medallist Manu Bhaker, yet again is the only shooter to have made it to two individual events. She will compete in the women’s 10m air pistol and the women’s 25m pistol events.

Prominent names to have made it back to the senior squad include former men’s air rifle world champion Rudrankksh Patil and Olympians Anjum Moudgil (women’s 50m rifle 3 positions), Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions), Saurabh Chaudhary (men’s 10m air pistol) and Kynan Chenai (men’s Trap).

The likes of Esha Singh, Mehuli Ghosh and Kiran Ankush Jadhav find themselves in both the senior squads, albeit shooting different events. Olympic bronze medalist Swapnil Kusale and former Asian Games champion and Olympian Rahi Sarnobat, also make it to the Ningbo squad.

Olympian Raiza Dhillon is the only difference in the two 36-member junior squads announced. She makes the Delhi World Cup junior women’s skeet team in place of Mansi Raghuvanshi, who is in the junior ASC team where Raiza competes in the seniors.

Currently, Indian shooter are participating in World Cup Shotgun in Lonato, Italy, where Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon, got themselves into good positions on day one of competition on Sunday.

--IANS

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