Athens, Greece, is a holy and lucky place for Indian shooting. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore became the first Indian shooter to win a silver medal in Double Trap shooting at the Athens Olympics in 2004. And now, 48-year-old Zorawar Singh Sandhu targeted and won a precious world championship shooting Bronze medal in Trap Shooting. Talking exclusively to NDTV, Zorawar Singh Sandhu said, “My hard work has ultimately paid off. I dedicate this medal to my country, and I would say that youngsters should keep working hard to achieve their goals. Nothing is impossible.”
Thirty-one years after his first junior world championship and 27 years after his first senior worlds, Zoravar Singh Sandhu of India, at the ripe age of 48, clinched the men’s trap bronze at the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) World Championship Shotgun 2025.
Shooting at the Malakasa Shooting Range in Athens, Greece, on Friday (Oct 17), Sandhu overcame rain, shadows, and an unsuitable bib number to hit 31 of the first 40 targets in the 50-shot final. He finished behind former Olympic champion and now world champion Josip Glasnovic of Croatia, who won gold with 44 hits, and junior world champion Andres Garcia of Spain, who won silver with a score of 39.
“It was a great experience,” said a visibly pleased and remarkably calm Zoravar after the final. “It was a tough range, tough conditions to shoot, but that’s how it is. I would like to thank my family, coaches, and teammates for their support.”
A thrilled National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) President, Shri. Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, said after the results came through, “It is yet another historic moment for Indian shooting with Zoravar helping us win only a third individual world championship medal in trap. It shows the level of confidence of our Shooting squad that with every international outing, new barriers are being breached. Full marks to Zoravar for his commitment and dedication and also to Peter Wilson and the entire coaching staff, who since coming on has helped our Trap squad get better and better.”
Zoravar’s challenge began early on Friday morning, with his first task being to ensure qualification despite missing just one target out of 100 in the first four rounds of qualification spread over the past two days. He missed the seventh target but hit 21 out of the first 22 before missing the 23rd target to log a 23 in the fifth and final round. A total of 122 (24, 25, 25, 25, 23) over five rounds turned out to be enough, as overnight leader and former world championship silver medalist Anton Glasnovic equaled the world record with a perfect score of 125 to top the table.
Topics mentioned in this article
(This story has not been edited by Daily Morning Today staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
