Lonato World Cup: Neeru Dhanda dazzles with flawless start; men’s trap squad struggles
Lonato: India’s Neeru Dhanda made a spectacular start to the women’s c shooting a flawless score to seize the outright lead following the opening three qualification rounds at the ISSF Shotgun World Cup on Friday.
The 26-year-old reigning Asian and national champion, who is set to represent India at the upcoming Asian Games in Japan, was in superb form, recording three consecutive perfect rounds of 25 to finish the day with a maximum score of 75/75. Her exceptional display placed her at the summit of the 106-athlete field, establishing a two-target advantage over the veteran American competitor Rachel Tozier, who completed the opening day on 73.
Slovakia's Zuzana Rehak Stefecekova, a Tokyo Olympics gold medallist and one of the sport's most decorated trap competitors, was tied for second place alongside Tozier on 73. The 42-year-old boasts three Olympic medals dating back to the 2008 Beijing Games and is a two-time world champion.
The impressive performance by Dhanda follows her recent success in May, when she claimed a bronze medal in the mixed trap team event at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty.
In contrast, India’s other female participants, Manisha Keer and Aashima Ahlawat, struggled to keep pace with the leaders, registering scores of 69 and 61, respectively.
Keer was positioned in a tie for 17th place alongside several competitors, whilst Ahlawat sat in joint 84th, leaving both with only a slim mathematical chance of reaching the eight-athlete final.
The final two qualification rounds, each consisting of 25 targets, are scheduled for Saturday, after which the top eight competitors will progress to the medal round.
Meanwhile, India's men's trap representatives endured a difficult opening day, effectively falling out of medal contention after a series of disappointing displays.
Ahvar Rizvi, who is also included in India's squad for the Asian Games, finished the day on 70 out of 75 targets to sit in a tie for 59th place alongside nearly two dozen other competitors.
Shapath Bharadwaj recorded a score of 68 to share 103rd place with more than a dozen athletes, whilst the experienced Kynan Chenai—another member of the squad selected for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games from 19 September to 4 October—managed a score of 67, leaving him tied for 117th in a massive field of 208 shooters.
Although another World Cup event is scheduled to take place in Hangzhou, China, later this month, this event serves as the final competitive World Cup appearance for India’s three continental-bound men’s trap shooters before the showpiece tournament. Their dip in form is likely to cause significant anxiety for the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) ahead of the trip to Japan.
With India yet to secure an individual medal on the shotgun World Cup circuit this year after coming away empty-handed from both Tangier, Morocco, in March and Almaty, Kazakhstan, in May, the men's performance offered little cause for optimism. The ongoing struggles stand in stark contrast to the country's recent achievements in the rifle and pistol World Cups, where Indian athletes enjoyed a substantial haul of medals.
PTI