New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) Adriyan Karmakar opened India’s account in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, with a silver on debut in the 50m rifle prone men junior event at the hallowed International Shooting Sport Centre ranges on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old junior 3P national champion shot 626.7 after 60 shots to miss out on gold, won by Sweden’s Jesper Johansson, by just 0.3. Griffin Lake (USA) won bronze with 624.6.

Adriyan, who has represented India juniors in the world championships before but never in a World Cup, shot confidently and was one of the earliest to finish. His effort was also a junior national record in the event.

Among other Indians in the fray, 15-year-old Rohit Kanyan finished in 12th place with a score of 620.2, while Vedant Nitin Waghmare shot 614.4 to finish in 35th place.

India, which finished on top of two of the three ISSF junior events last year, has fielded the largest contingent of 57 shooters, who will be accompanied by 21 officials, including coaches and support staff.

Olympian Raiza Dhillon (skeet) and mixed team trap bronze medallist in the recently concluded Nicosia Shotgun World Cup, Sabeera Harris, will be among the most prominent names in the strong Indian side.

Others include Naamya Kapoor, who was a junior world champion at 13, reigning double junior world champion Divanshi (25m pistol), reigning junior world champion in the 25m pistol Mukesh Nellavalli, Asian junior champion Harmehar Lally (Skeet) and multiple junior ISSF medalists Shubham Bisla (air pistol) and Abhinav Chaudhary (air pistol), among others.

Suhl, a small city of no more than 40,000 residents right in the centre of Germany, has long been the driving force of the junior international shooting circuit and, as such, attracts the very best of the future stars in the sport.

Many future Olympic and world champions have been unearthed in Suhl. After an absence in the Olympic year last year, the Suhl Junior World Cup is back with a bang, attracting over 630 athletes from 59 countries, including all the strong nations of the sport.

All 15 Olympic events are on the schedule, with the 50m rifle prone competition for junior men and women kicking off competitions on Day One. The Trap Mixed Team event will be the last medal set to be awarded on May 26.

–IANS

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