New Delhi: China’s three-time Olympic medallist Li Yuehong said the Chinese shooting contingent will be looking to learn from Indian shooters at the upcoming ISSF Shooting World Cup Final at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi, scheduled from October 13 to 17.
This event will be the season-ending one for world-class shooters to decide who finishes on the top with four finals to be held in pistol, rifle and shotgun. All the 12 individual medal winners at the shooting events have earned automatic qualification for the World Cup Final.
India, by the virtue of being the hosts, will put on a 23-member shooting contingent against the 132 shooters participating from 37 countries. China will field the second biggest contingent (16 members) with Italy (10 members) and Germany (nine members) to follow them, respectively.
Veteran Chinese shooter Li Yuehong, who clinched gold medal at the Paris Olympics in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event, believes his compatriots have a good opportunity to learn from their Indian counterparts.
“The Indian shooting team has achieved fast development in recent years. The Chinese shooting team would like to take this great opportunity to learn, communicate and exchange ideas with them,” Yuehong said during a virtual media round table, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The 35-year-old Yuehong, along with compatriots Liu Yukun and Jiang Ranxin, spoke about the Chinese contingent’s preparations and the importance of the upcoming tournament.
“The Chinese team has been preparing for the last two weeks. We have placed great importance on the World Cup Final and we believe it is a high-level international competition in this Olympic cycle and a great starting point for the LA 2028 Olympics,” Yuehong said.
“Many Olympic champion shooters will be competing and it will be a good opportunity to compete with excellent shooters from around the world,” he added.
Chinese shooter praises NRAI for Indian shooter’s success
The Indian shooting contingent was the most successful among 16 sports disciplines the country participated in the Paris Olympics. Three bronze medals from Manu Bhaker (Women’s 10m air pistol), Manu Bhaker and Sarabjot Singh (Mixed team 10m air pistol) and Swapnil Kusale (Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions) ended India’s drought at the quadrennial showpiece event after 12 years.
China’s Liu Yukun, who won gold in men’s 50m rifle 3 positions and finished on the podium with Kusale, spoke about the bond the two shooters share among them.
“I respect every athlete who made the final at the Olympics. Everyone who reaches the finals is a hero. I am very glad to share the podium with an Indian shooter. As far our interactions go, we always cheered and encourage each other,” Yukun said.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) made mandatory for all the Indian shooters to go through the trials, including the ones who held quotas from different competitions. A total of four Olympic shooting trails were conducted for eight Olympic rifle and pistol events in Delhi and Bhopal. Top two shooters in each event, based on the average scores from the best three trials out of four, were awarded place in the squad for the Paris Games.
“I have competed many years against Indian shooters and they have achieved significant progress. They are really strong competitors. I am glad to see the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has posed high technical requirements for the Indian shooters and they are demonstrating strong sportsman spirit. It is interesting to be on the same playing field with them,” the 27-year-old Yukun said.
China’s three-time Olympic medallist Li Yuehong said the Chinese shooting contingent will be looking to learn from Indian shooters at the upcoming ISSF Shooting World Cup Final at the Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi, scheduled from October 13 to 17. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
