New Delhi, July 12 (IANS) The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has commenced its elite national shooting camp, bringing together 35 of the country’s top rifle, pistol and shotgun athletes as preparations gather pace for the ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China, and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The training programme, which began on Saturday, will run in staggered phases until July 20, with the objective of sharpening India’s leading shooters ahead of two of the year’s biggest international assignments.

The camp features several of India’s most accomplished shooters, including Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil, Olympians Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and Elavenil Valarivan, along with Esha Singh and trap shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta.

To oversee the preparations, the NRAI has assembled an experienced coaching team comprising both international and Indian experts. Olympic champion Peter Wilson will supervise the trap squad, while Thomas Farnik, Jalena Arunovic and Riccardo Filippelli will lead the rifle, pistol and skeet disciplines respectively.

The foreign specialists will work alongside a seasoned Indian coaching group featuring Commonwealth Games gold medallist Samaresh Jung, who heads the 10m pistol programme, and former Olympian Anwer Sultan, the high-performance coach for trap. The support staff also includes High Performance Director Pierre Beauchamp and High Performance Manager Ronak Pandit, backed by an 11-member sports science team focused on athlete conditioning, recovery, injury prevention and mental preparation.

Explaining the significance of the camp, NRAI president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo said the coming months would be crucial for Indian shooting.

“We are entering an incredibly crucial couple of months for Indian shooting. The World Cup in Hangzhou and the Asian Games are major benchmarks for us, and this camp is designed to make sure our shooters are peaking at the exact right moment. Having our core group train together under the guidance of top-tier coaches like Peter Wilson, Samaresh Jung, and our international team gives us the perfect environment to iron out minor details. It’s all about fine-tuning their routines so they can walk onto the international ranges with absolute clarity,” he said.

NRAI Secretary General Pawankumar Singh said the camp is aimed not only at technical improvement but also at building unity within the contingent before the international season. “A national camp like this is really about building the right momentum and camaraderie before heading into major tournaments. Our primary focus is to give our athletes the absolute best support system possible, ensuring they have everything they need to train without any distractions. The energy and focus among the shooters and the entire coaching staff right now is excellent. We are going into these next few months as one tight unit, and I am confident that this collective hard work will translate into strong performances on the global stage.”

The NRAI has staggered the training schedule across disciplines to maximise the use of the national shooting range. The rifle and pistol squads will train from July 12 to 17; the trap contingent will prepare between July 14 and 20; and the skeet team began its specialised training block on July 9.

The camp roster includes established internationals and emerging talent across all three disciplines. The rifle and pistol squads feature shooters such as Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Shahu Tushar Mane, Niraj Kumar, Kedarling Balakrishna Uchaganve, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Ashi Chouksey, Tilottama Sen, Suruchi and Rahi Sarnobat, among others. The trap contingent comprises Udaiveer Singh Jaijee, Vivaan Kapoor, Pragati Dubey, Kirti Gupta and Rajeshwari Kumari, while the skeet squad includes Gurjoat Singh Khangura, Parampal Singh Guron, Abhay Singh Sekhon, Ganemat Sekhon, Darshna Rathore and Yashasvi Rathore.

India will use the national camp as its final high-performance preparation phase before the shooters head to Hangzhou for the ISSF World Cup, after which the focus will shift to the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, where the country will aim to continue its strong performances on the international shooting circuit.

–IANS

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