Indian Olympic medallists opt out, but plenty to compete for at ISSF World Cup finals

In the weeks after he won an Olympic gold medal with an Olympic record in the 50m three-position event, Liu Yukun went fishing—an activity he revels in. Olympic men’s trap champion Nathan Hales, meanwhile, said he was finally able to contribute to childcare duties with his 19-month-old daughter, Hattie—a responsibility he had to hand off to his partner while he prepared for the Paris Games.

That small, well-deserved break has now come to an end. Over the next week, the two will be competing at the ISSF World Cup Finals, which begins at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on Tuesday. The World Cup typically features the defending Olympic champions, the top six athletes from the combined six ISSF World Cup stages held throughout 2024, defending ISSF World Cup Final champions, and reigning world champions.

131 top participants, including eight of the 12 Olympic champions, will compete over the week. A total of 24 participants from India will also be taking part—two Indian shooters will be in action in each of the 12 Olympic events on the roster. However, none of India’s three Olympic shooting medallists—Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, and Sarvesh Kusale—will be in action, as all have opted out of the tournament.

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There have been some eyebrows raised over their absence. It’s possible that the shooters felt they didn’t have enough time to prepare for a world-level competition. However, that is true for nearly every other shooter who medalled at the Olympics and is competing in Delhi.

Hales, for instance, said he will probably have only two weeks of training before he arrives in India. “I will be hoping my Olympic training carries me through. The World Cup finals is an important tournament since it will give me a chance to compete with some of the top shooters in the world,” he told Sportstar.

Yukun also reiterated this sentiment. “We (Chinese shooters) attach great importance to this competition. The World Cup finals is a high-level international competition in this Olympic cycle. It is a great starting point for the 2028 Olympics. Several champions are coming here. This competition will be a good opportunity to compete with excellent shooters from around the world,” said the Chinese shooter.

However, according to Suma Shirur, coach of the Indian team that competed in Chateauroux, the decision to either compete or skip the World Cup finals could vary based on the individual shooter.

Indeed, while a majority of Olympic medallists are competing at the World Cup finals, several— not just Indians—are skipping the tournament.

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“I see this more as a season-ending competition than the first competition of a new cycle. It’s a follow-up competition to the Olympics,” says Shirur. “I can see shooters participating in this competition if they feel there are aspects of their game that they are not happy with and which they want to check out before they start their off-season preparation for the new season. They might want to identify what technical issues they might be carrying. The World Cup finals are a major competition, but at the same time, this is a competition with not a lot at stake,” she says.

This may be particularly true for some Indian shooters. Arjun Babuta, who narrowly missed out on an Olympic bronze medal, will be leading India’s challenge in the men’s 10m air rifle event. “I can understand why Arjun might want to take part. He had an emotional finish to his event at the Olympics. He would probably want to finish his season on a positive note. That’s equally important if you want to start the new season with a new outlook,” she says.