Rudrankksh Patil Aims for Glory at ISSF World Championships in Cairo

Cairo, Nov 7 (PTI) Former world champion Rudrankksh Patil is set to return to Cairo with hopes of repeating his stellar performance from 2022 as the ISSF World Championships make a comeback to the Egyptian capital on Saturday.

The 21-year-old former world No.1 in the 10m air rifle category will be revisiting his favorite shooting range, a place rich in memories and past victories, including his crowning moment as a teen.

Rudrankksh, who became only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra in 2006 to win the world championship in the 10m air rifle, aims for a podium finish, marking the beginning of his journey towards qualification for the LA2028 Olympics.

He starts his campaign on day one of the competition alongside seasoned Olympian Arjun Babuta and contender Vishal Singh. Both Rudrankksh and Babuta have been in exceptional form this year, with Rudrankksh grabbing gold at the Buenos Aires World Cup and Babuta securing a silver in Lima.

The competition, however, will be stiff in a field of 110 competitors, which includes standout performers like reigning world record holder and Olympic champion Sheng Lihao of China.

The Indian women's 10m air rifle team, made up of Olympian Elavenil Valarivan, Meghana Sajjanar, and Shreya Agrawal, will also face formidable opponents. Despite individual successes in international competitions this year, they will contend with Olympic champion Ban Hyojin of Korea and promising young Chinese shooters Wang Zifei and Peng Xinlu. With strong performances needed in the qualification round, the three are striving for medal success on Saturday.

Deepali Deshpande, rifle coach, expressed optimism about the team's preparations and readiness to deliver strong performances, noting that the shooters have had a beneficial break from competition and have been training hard both recently in Cairo and back home last month.

Alongside rifle events, the first qualification round for the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol event will feature Olympian Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh, and Sameer.

This championship also acts as a final opportunity for shooters to qualify for the ISSF World Cup Finals in Doha in December, with nine Indians already having secured their spots. Cairo has historically been a favorable venue for India, which led the standings in the previous two World Cups held here.

The 40-strong Indian contingent will compete across 17 events, covering all 10 Olympic disciplines, joining a total of 720 athletes from 71 nations over the 10-day event.

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