No final berth for India at ISSF Shotgun World Cup as trap shooters miss cut

India’s campaign in the trap shooting events at the inaugural ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Tangier, Morocco , ended in disappointment after none of the shooters managed to qualify for the finals in either the men’s or women’s competitions.

Trap shooting, a discipline where athletes shoot at fast-moving clay targets launched from machines, demands extreme precision and timing. After two days of qualification rounds, however, the Indian contingent fell short of securing a place among the top eight shooters required to reach the final.

In the men’s trap event , Kynan Chenai emerged as the best-placed Indian shooter, finishing 13th with a score of 119 after five rounds. Chenai had shown promise early in the competition but could not maintain the pace needed to break into the top eight.

Bhowneesh Mendiratta finished 39th with 115 , while Olympian Prithviraj Tondaiman ended in 57th place . The remaining Indian shooters also struggled to climb the standings, with Sultan Mohammad Asad finishing 64th and Gyanchand Sharan Susheel ending 73rd in the qualification table.

The qualification round was topped by Great Britain’s Nathan Hales , the Paris Olympics gold medallist and former world champion, who scored 123 to lead the field comfortably.

Interestingly, the opening day had raised hopes for the Indian camp. Both Bhowneesh and Kynan had begun strongly, hitting 72 targets out of 75 in the first three rounds and sharing joint sixth place with several competitors. However, consistency in the final rounds proved elusive.

The women’s trap event also saw India narrowly missing the cut. Aashima Ahlawat finished 14th with 111 , coming closest to the final qualification mark. Kirti Gupta ended 32nd , while Olympian Rajeshwari Kumari finished 37th .

The remaining Indian shooters, Shreshtha Sisodiya and Preeti Rajak , placed 41st and 42nd respectively.

With no finalists from either category, India’s trap shooters will look to regroup and improve consistency ahead of upcoming international competitions.