The 2025 international shooting season began with quite the bang for India, with 15 medals across the back-to-back ISSF World Cups in South America.
At the first World Cup in Buenos Aires, India finished second only to China with a haul of four gold, two silver and two bronze medals. At the Lima World Cup, India were third in the standings with a total of two gold, four silvers and one bronze medal. Overall, Indian shooters reached a total of 32 finals, including medal matches in the mixed-events, and returned with 15 medals.
Now, World Cup success is neither uncommon nor unexpected for Indian shooting with its enviable depth. Indeed, it has even been seen as an inaccurate marker of form in the past. But after the Paris Olympics - where the 12-year medal drought finally ended - things are different. The medal winners are a mix of teenagers, veterans and Olympians and the consistency is gauged across two, strenuous, successive events in near full-strength international fields.
The biggest storyline for India was in air pistol, where two prodigies across the spectrum found their way to the podium in a heartening manner. The undisputed star of the show was 18-year-old Suruchi Phogat, who stunned the world with her consistent, composed shooting for a clean sweep of the women's 10m air pistol. The most encouraging result was the return of Saurabh Chaudhary, who won two mixed team and one individual medal.
Here are the biggest takeways for Indian shooting from the South American World Cup leg:
Suruchi Phogat delivers on promise on international debut
To those following Indian shooting, Suruchi has been the standout shooter on the national level this season - sweeping up all three women's air pistol golds at the nationals, winning the National Games gold and the selection trials, beating her idol and double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker, Asian Games champion Palak Gulia, Olympian Esha Singh among others.
The challenge for the teenager from Haryana then was to deliver on this promise on the international level. She did this and more on her senior World Cup debut, winning both women's air pistol gold medals on offer, along with a gold and bronze in mixed pistol. A medal in every event she competed in.
In her finals, she competed against and beat the top Chinese shooters, beat Manu to silver in a tense climax, shot only two sub-10 hits partnering Saurabh Chaudhary in the gold medal match. It was not just the medals and the calm way she shot them down that set her apart, it was the consistency she has shown in her scores right from December being effortlessly transitioned in a world class, global field. This is rare even among Indian shooting's glut of teen prodigies.
It is very early days yet but 3 gold medals and a bronze on international debut makes Suruchi the most interesting Indian shooter to watch out for in this Olympic cycle.
Saurabh Chaudhary is back on a World Cup podium
There are some things that you can't just help but be happy about as an Indian sports fans. Saurabh finding his way back on a World Cup podium after years in the wilderness has to be one of them.
To briefly recap his journey, the now 22-year-old went from Asian Games champion at 16, serial World Cup gold medallist and Indian shooting's brightest hope to someone who could not make the Indian squad and seemed to lose all confidence soon after a prize money controversy with his childhood coach. Yet, he was one of the few Indian shooters whose abundant natural talent was always reminisced about.
It was a long process for Saurabh to get his once soaring scores back into a range good enough to make the finals at the national level and then the Indian squad. He didn't make the first World Cup final in Buenos Aires, but won a mixed team bronze with Suruchi. That seemed to have done the trick as he made the final in Lima and won an individual bronze, which was worth its weight in gold for his confidence. He followed it with a gold with Suruchi to make it 3 medals from the South American leg.
There was nothing special about this if you see his past achievements, but it made all the difference for his mental game, which was the aspect that had gone away.
Post-Olympics Manu Bhaker is still motivated and how
The busiest shooter across all World Cups, Manu once again competed in all three pistol events - 10m air pistol, 25m pistol, and mixed team pistol - and was in all finals but one. While she may have only one silver medal to show for it, there's a bigger picture to see here. This double World Cup leg showed that the two Olympic medals and a long break after that have not affected her drive for shooting.
Yes, Esha Singh, Suruchi Phogat and Simranpreet Brar all won medals ahead of her, but Manu making the Indians squad in both pistol disciplines in India's strenuous trials system and then making almost all finals is something to be looked positively upon. An Olympic medal may change motivations, two medals after going through the grinder means deserving rest... now Manu seems motivated as ever and that's good news for Indian shooting.
Vijayveer Sidhu wins India's first rapid fire pistol gold
It may be hard to believe but India did not have a senior individual World Cup gold medal in men's 25m rapid-fire pistol before this year. Vijayveer Sidhu broke this duck when he won the final in Buenos Aires ahead of experienced Italian Riccardo Mazzatti and Chinese teenager Yang Yuhao.
It may be a small thing in the larger scheme, but to see an Indian win a discipline in which most shooters have struggled at the highest level (barring Vijay Kumar in that one Olympic final) is highlight worthy.
Sift Kaur Samra, Ruddrankksh Patil among 'old guard' climbing back
Across both World Cups, there were moments where the 'old guard' - a phrase used loosely to indicate young shooters who have been around for a long time - stood up to serve a reminder of the calibre of Indian shooting.
Take for example former world champion Rudrankksh Patil, who could not make the Olympic squad last year, but has bounced back to win the 10m air rifle gold in Buenos Aires as well as both mixed rifle team silver with debutant Arya Borse. Arjun Babuta, who finished fourth at th Paris Games, won the 10m air rifle in Lima, missing the gold by just 0.1 point behind China's legendary Sheng Lihao.
Sift Kaur Samra, the world record holder who had a harrowing time in Paris, was back on top of the podium with a gold in 50m rifle 3 positions - a much-needed international win after a difficult time since the Olympics.
Esha Singh, who won silver in women's 25m pistol in Buenos Aires, and made the final in Lima, would also be heartened by the good start to the season.
Shotgun draws a blank
If one has to point out a negative, then it will be the complete lack of medals from the shotgun disciplines. Raiza Dhillon was the only Indian to reach a shotgun final, finishing fifth out of six in women's skeet in Lima. Admittedly, India has never been as successful in shotgun as it has in rifle and pistol. Still, one final at two World Cups in not an encouraging return.