ISSF World Cup Shotgun Almaty 2023: India’s skeet shooters Ganemat Sekhon and Darshna Rathore create history

Indian shooters Ganemat Sekhon and Darshna Rathore struck a silver and a bronze medal in the women’s individual skeet event at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun Almaty 2023 on Tuesday. It was for the first time that India won two individual medals in women’s skeet at the senior ISSF World Cup.

Ganemat Sekhon was on track to win a gold medal but settled for silver with 50/60 points after missing five of her last 10 shots. Tokyo Olympian Assem Orynbay, an Asian championships silver medallist from Kazakhstan, also shot 50/60 but went on to bag the gold medal after winning the shoot-off 2-1. 

Darshna Rathore, meanwhile, won her maiden ISSF World Cup medal, a bronze. She shot 39/50 and could not progress to the gold medal round.

Czech Republic’s European silver medallist Sumova Barbora (29/40), Greek youngster Katzouraki Emmanouela (20/30) and Nikolaou Konstantia (12/20) of Cyprus finished the six-shooter final in respective order.

Maheshwari Chauhan, the third Indian women’s skeet shooter competing in the individual event, came 26th in the 35-shooter field and was eliminated. She scored 108.

Assem Orynbay topped the qualification round with 121 points ahead of Darshna Rathore, who shot 120. Ganemat Sekhon was fourth in the qualification with a score of 117.

In the men's skeet, none of the three Indians, including Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan, could make it to the final. Mairaj Ahmad Khan scored 119 and came 17th while Gurjoat Khangura shot the same score and finished 19th. Anantjeet Singh Naruka was 23rd with a score of 118.

The competition in Almaty is the penultimate stage of the ISSF World Cup for shotgun shooters. The final stage will be held in Lonato, Italy before the ISSF World Championships take place in November at Doha. 

Indian trap shooters will be in action later in the tournament.