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What's the story?
The newly released ISSF rankings on Sunday have brought joyous tidings for the nation. India finished on top of the medals tally at the recently concluded ISSF World Cup that was held in Guadalaraja, Mexico. Nine shooters from India - four women and five men - are now in the top ten world rankings.
In case you didn't know
India won 9 gold, 5 silver and 8 bronze medals at the ISSF Junior Shooting World Cup in Sydney. Shooters from Punjab and Haryana were at the centre of India's medal haul.
Heart of the matter
The talented 23-year-old Shahzar Rizvi became the highest ranked Indian shooter. On the other hand, Anjum Moudgil became the only shooter from India to figure in top ten in two events. Both are headed to the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games that begin from Wednesday.
Shahzar became World No. 2 in Men’s 10m Air Pistol while Anjum Moudgil became World No. 5 in Women’s 10m Air Rifle and No. 9 in Women’s 50m Three Positions.
Also headed to the Australian continent for the Games, Akhil Sheoran became No. 3 in Men’s 50m Rifle Three Positions while Sanjeev Rajput booked the No. 10 spot.
Gold medal contender for the Games, Jitu Rai and Ravi Kumar became No. 4 in Men’s 10m Air Pistol and Men’s 10m Air Rifle, respectively.
The 16-year-old Manu Bhaker became World No. 5 in Women’s 10m Air Pistol, while Yashaswini Singh Deswal became No. 8 in the same event.
The very young and hailed as a prodigy Mehuli Ghosh is quite the 17-year-old teenage sensation and stood World No. 6 in Women's 10m Air Rifle. Another teenager who gave an outstanding performance is the 16-year-old Manu Bhaker, who became World No. 5, while Yashaswini Singh Deswal got the tag of No. 8 in the same Women's 10m Air Pistol event.
What's next?
Having so many Indian players in the Top 10 of the ISSF rankings is a brilliant thing for the future of Indian shooting. With budding talent like Mehuli Ghosh and Manu Bhaker, India's shooting future looks bright and incredibly promising.
Author's take
Things couldn't have been better for the Indian shooting team headed to the Commonwealth Games. The chances of India bringing home several gold medals now seem more promising with the current form of the shooters. With Shahzar Rizvi and Anjum Moudgil and Mehuli Ghosh in the team, things look very positive for the team.
