Olympic champions return for ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi

As the 2024 season comes to a close, athletes have one more shot at redemption or glory at the ISSF World Cup Final in New Delhi, India.

After a stellar year of performances across rifle, pistol and shotgun at major competitions including the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, over 100 are to compete at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.

124 athletes are entered for the World Cup Final, from 34 nations.

Rifle

Sheng Lihao, who claimed two gold medals at Paris 2024, returns in the men's 10m air rifle, alongside his Chinese teammate Du Linshu, Czech Jiri Privratsky and India's Arjun Barbuta as some of the main contenders.

In the women's event, Sheng's mixed team partner Huang Yuting will be one of the favourites for gold along with compatriot Han Jiayu, after the former's silver medal at the Games. French star Oceanne Muller and Anna Janssen from Germany are on the entry list too alongside Keum Ji-hyeon and Kwon Eun-ji from Korea. Swiss star Audrey Gogniat, the Olympic bronze medallist is expected to compete too.

Olympic 50m air rifle 3 positions champions Liu Yukun of China and Chiara Leone from Switzerland will look to end brilliant years with another victory too.

Pistol

Xie Yu, the reigning Olympic men's 10m air pistol champion, is one of 16 Chinese athletes expected to compete in India, but comes up against a home favourite in Arjun Singh Cheema and the men he beat for gold - Italians Federico Nilo Maldini and Paolo Monna. Turkiye internet sensation Yusuf Dikec will compete too.

While Manu Bhaker will not compete in New Delhi, two of her teammates Rhythm Sangwan and Surbhi Rao are on the start list, as is Olympic mixed team medallist Sevval Ilayda Tarhan and the Chinese duo of Jiang Ranxin and Li Xue and Olympic medallist Camille Jedrzejewski from France.

Jedrzejewski is to compete in the women's 25m pistol too alongside Hungarian Veronika Major, who she beat to the silver medal and Yang Jiin from Korea, the defending Olympic champion.

Olympic champion Li Yuehong leads the men's entry list in the 25m rapid fire pistol event with teammate and bronze medallist Wang Xinjie. Germans Florian Peter and Christian Reitz are set to compete too.

Shotgun

After a historic first gold medal for Guatemala at the Olympic Games, Adriana Ruano Oliva is to compete in the women's trap event, where she is to come toe-to-toe again with the Olympic silver medallist Silvana Stanco from Italy. Alessandra Perilli, the Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist from San Marino is also set to compete.

Ruano's teammate Jean Pierre Brol, who won bronze in the men's trap, will look to strike gold this time, but is to meet Qi Ying from China and Paris 2024 finalist James Willett as some of the top contenders.

While Vincent Hancock will not compete in New Delhi, his protege and Olympic silver medallist Conner Prince from the United States will. Tammaro Cassandro and Gabriele Rossetti from Italy will be expected to contend for the crown, as will Lee Meng Yuan from Chinese Taipei, who finished third behind Hancock and Prince in Chateauroux.

India's shotgun hopes may lay with Maheshwari Chauhan in the women's skeet, having came just short of bronze in the mixed skeet event at Paris 2024. However, Diana Bacosi from Italy will be looking to make amends for not making the women's final this summer. Kazakhstan's Assem Orynbay comes into the event after great a strong showing at the Asian Shotgun Cup. Dania Vizzi from the United States and France's Lucie Anastassiou are also on the entry list.