Following the fourth and final stage of the standard ISSF World Cup season, the first seven athletes have been confirmed for the women's 50m rifle 3 positions competition for the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar.
Qualification Rules
4 Winners of each 2025 ISSF World Cup event, or next best unqualified athlete if repeated winners.
1 2024 ISSF World Cup Final Title Defender.
2 Highest-ranked athletes not qualified from the 2025 ISSF World Cup rankings. This can become more if athletes qualify through two different routes.
To be confirmed
3 2025 ISSF World Championships medallists.
2 Wild cards from the host nation can be submitted.
Qualification Rules
4 Winners of each 2025 ISSF World Cup event, or next best unqualified athlete if repeated winners.
1 2024 ISSF World Cup Final Title Defender.
2 Highest-ranked athletes not qualified from the 2025 ISSF World Cup rankings. This can become more if athletes qualify through two different routes.
To be confirmed
3 2025 ISSF World Championships medallists.
2 Wild cards from the host nation can be submitted.
Rikke Ibsen
Nation: Denmark
World Cup Ranking: 5
Qualification: ISSF World Cup Final Title Defender
Rikke Ibsen performed when it mattered last year in New Delhi to claim her first ISSF World Cup Final title, having slowly moved her way through the field to take the lead and eventually the win, on the second last shot.
As a result, the Dane gained an automatic spot at the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final, as the title defender - and in hindsight, it was needed.
Ibsen's best ISSF World Cup result this year came in Munich, where she finished 29th in the 10m air rifle event while also placing 42nd in the 50m rifle 3 positions. She opted to miss the South American legs, and as a result, finished the World Cup rankings in 61st place. In a normal year without the automatic spot, she would have had to rely on a medal at the ISSF World Championships, something she has yet to achieve.
But what she has achieved before, and has achieved again this year, is a European title. Three years ago, she left Wroclaw with the coveted gold medal. In August, she returned to Chateauroux a year on from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and again, became the champion in a competitive field.
The 34-year-old will come into Doha with confidence, ready to defend her title in her third ISSF World Cup Final appearance.
Nation: Denmark
World Cup Ranking: 5
Qualification: ISSF World Cup Final Title Defender
Rikke Ibsen performed when it mattered last year in New Delhi to claim her first ISSF World Cup Final title, having slowly moved her way through the field to take the lead and eventually the win, on the second last shot.
As a result, the Dane gained an automatic spot at the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final, as the title defender - and in hindsight, it was needed.
Ibsen's best ISSF World Cup result this year came in Munich, where she finished 29th in the 10m air rifle event while also placing 42nd in the 50m rifle 3 positions. She opted to miss the South American legs, and as a result, finished the World Cup rankings in 61st place. In a normal year without the automatic spot, she would have had to rely on a medal at the ISSF World Championships, something she has yet to achieve.
But what she has achieved before, and has achieved again this year, is a European title. Three years ago, she left Wroclaw with the coveted gold medal. In August, she returned to Chateauroux a year on from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and again, became the champion in a competitive field.
The 34-year-old will come into Doha with confidence, ready to defend her title in her third ISSF World Cup Final appearance.
Sift Kaur Samra
Nation: India
World Cup Ranking: 2
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Buenos Aires)
She had knocked on the door a couple of times and finally it opened - Sift Kaur Samra became a gold medallist at the ISSF World Cup in 2025, winning in Buenos Aires at the start of the season.
The Indian's first individual podium was on home soil in Bhopal two years ago, when she won the bronze medal. She followed this up with a bronze in Munich last year. When Samra started the final in Argentina this year, she was under serious pressure, sitting in last place after the prone section. But it showed how quick things can change. After 10 standing shots, she had jumped from bottom to top. From there, she performed well in the five single shots to pull away from the silver medallist Anita Mangold from Germany, giving her the title.
She followed this with 13th in Lima, before taking bronze in Munich for the second year in a row. Then, she took the gold medal at the Asian Championships, continuing great form throughout 2025.
Nation: India
World Cup Ranking: 2
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Buenos Aires)
She had knocked on the door a couple of times and finally it opened - Sift Kaur Samra became a gold medallist at the ISSF World Cup in 2025, winning in Buenos Aires at the start of the season.
The Indian's first individual podium was on home soil in Bhopal two years ago, when she won the bronze medal. She followed this up with a bronze in Munich last year. When Samra started the final in Argentina this year, she was under serious pressure, sitting in last place after the prone section. But it showed how quick things can change. After 10 standing shots, she had jumped from bottom to top. From there, she performed well in the five single shots to pull away from the silver medallist Anita Mangold from Germany, giving her the title.
She followed this with 13th in Lima, before taking bronze in Munich for the second year in a row. Then, she took the gold medal at the Asian Championships, continuing great form throughout 2025.
Sagen Maddalena
Nation: United States
World Cup Ranking: 3
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Lima)
Sagen Maddalena was one of the best-performing athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing fourth in the 10m air rifle final and winning silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.
This was not a one-season wonder. Maddalena is one of the few Americans who excels outside of the shotgun discipline. In 2022, she won the 50m rifle prone mixed team gold medal and air rifle team silver medal at the ISSF World Championship in Cairo. She would also finish fourth in the 50m rifle 3 positions final. A year later in Baku, she upgraded that fourth to a bronze medal. Additionally, she has five Continental American Championship titles.
Despite this major championship form, Maddalena is set to make her ISSF World Cup Final debut in Doha. Her only World Cup podium before this season came back in Rio de Janeiro when she won bronze. She has another six top 10 finishes.
She first topped the World Cup podium with victory in Lima, keeping Jeanette Hegg Duestad at bay to secure her spot at the season finale. She followed this by placing fourth in Munich in the same event.
Whether Maddalena competes at the 2025 ISSF World Championship or the ISSF World Cup Final remains to be seen, as she continues her recovery from shoulder surgery.
Nation: United States
World Cup Ranking: 3
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Lima)
Sagen Maddalena was one of the best-performing athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, finishing fourth in the 10m air rifle final and winning silver in the 50m rifle 3 positions event.
This was not a one-season wonder. Maddalena is one of the few Americans who excels outside of the shotgun discipline. In 2022, she won the 50m rifle prone mixed team gold medal and air rifle team silver medal at the ISSF World Championship in Cairo. She would also finish fourth in the 50m rifle 3 positions final. A year later in Baku, she upgraded that fourth to a bronze medal. Additionally, she has five Continental American Championship titles.
Despite this major championship form, Maddalena is set to make her ISSF World Cup Final debut in Doha. Her only World Cup podium before this season came back in Rio de Janeiro when she won bronze. She has another six top 10 finishes.
She first topped the World Cup podium with victory in Lima, keeping Jeanette Hegg Duestad at bay to secure her spot at the season finale. She followed this by placing fourth in Munich in the same event.
Whether Maddalena competes at the 2025 ISSF World Championship or the ISSF World Cup Final remains to be seen, as she continues her recovery from shoulder surgery.
Jeanette Hegg Duestad
Nation: Norway
World Cup Ranking: 1
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Munich)
One of the most consistent athletes in the event, Jeanette Hegg Duestad is rarely far from the podium. The Norwegian has a fantastic record at the Olympic Games, albeit a heartbreaking one. All six of her Olympic results saw her finish in the top 10, albeit she has placed fourth three times, including twice in the 50m rifle 3 positions final.
Duestad does hold a 300m rifle 3 positions title, and a bronze in the 50m distance from 2022. She is also incredibly consistent on the World Cup circuit. She has four gold medals in her preferred event, three silvers and three bronzes as an individual. This won her qualification to the ISSF World Cup Final three times. In 2023, she won the 50m rifle 3 positions gold and 10m air rifle bronze, and last year was runner-up to Ibsen in the 50m event in New Delhi.
This year, she was victorious in Munich, leading from start to finish to beat Emely Jaeggi of Switzerland to the win. It came after taking silver in Lima. In the 10m air rifle event, she placed fourth on both legs.
But what should always be remembered is Duestad loves the longer distance. She became the 300m champion this year at the European Championships, and finished second in the 50m rifle 3 positions final behind Ibsen.
She remains the athlete with the most consistency and a constant threat to anyone in this event.
Nation: Norway
World Cup Ranking: 1
Qualification: ISSF World Cup gold (Munich)
One of the most consistent athletes in the event, Jeanette Hegg Duestad is rarely far from the podium. The Norwegian has a fantastic record at the Olympic Games, albeit a heartbreaking one. All six of her Olympic results saw her finish in the top 10, albeit she has placed fourth three times, including twice in the 50m rifle 3 positions final.
Duestad does hold a 300m rifle 3 positions title, and a bronze in the 50m distance from 2022. She is also incredibly consistent on the World Cup circuit. She has four gold medals in her preferred event, three silvers and three bronzes as an individual. This won her qualification to the ISSF World Cup Final three times. In 2023, she won the 50m rifle 3 positions gold and 10m air rifle bronze, and last year was runner-up to Ibsen in the 50m event in New Delhi.
This year, she was victorious in Munich, leading from start to finish to beat Emely Jaeggi of Switzerland to the win. It came after taking silver in Lima. In the 10m air rifle event, she placed fourth on both legs.
But what should always be remembered is Duestad loves the longer distance. She became the 300m champion this year at the European Championships, and finished second in the 50m rifle 3 positions final behind Ibsen.
She remains the athlete with the most consistency and a constant threat to anyone in this event.
Barbora Dubska
Nation: Czechia
World Cup Ranking: 10
Qualification: ISSF World Cup bronze (Ningbo)
Some of the most exciting qualifications come from those who leave it until the final shots of the season. For Barbora Dubska, she travelled to China with a best individual finish of 30th and 31st this season, in the 50m rifle 3 positions and 10m air rifle respectively in Lima.
Dubska had also featured at the Junior World Cup in Suhl, finishing sixth in the event. She would also place fifth and eighth in the 10m and 50m distances at the European Championships. While in Osijek, she also placed 33rd in the senior competition over 10m.
So, her performance in Ningbo was one of the most surprising of the season. The Czech was the seventh qualifier and in the early stages of the final looked set for an early exit. However, she had the best score from her opening 10 standing shots, moving her from seventh to third. A blip on the opening single shot left the door open to her compatriot Katerina Stefankova and Germany's Anna Janssen. With the top two of Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Rikke Ibsen already qualified, the bronze medal was guaranteed to come with a World Cup Final spot.
Dubska held off Janssen who had drawn level to secure her first World Cup medal. To predict one of the qualifiers for Doha being her, you would have had to be mad. Now, the fairytale continues for the 21-year-old.
Nation: Czechia
World Cup Ranking: 10
Qualification: ISSF World Cup bronze (Ningbo)
Some of the most exciting qualifications come from those who leave it until the final shots of the season. For Barbora Dubska, she travelled to China with a best individual finish of 30th and 31st this season, in the 50m rifle 3 positions and 10m air rifle respectively in Lima.
Dubska had also featured at the Junior World Cup in Suhl, finishing sixth in the event. She would also place fifth and eighth in the 10m and 50m distances at the European Championships. While in Osijek, she also placed 33rd in the senior competition over 10m.
So, her performance in Ningbo was one of the most surprising of the season. The Czech was the seventh qualifier and in the early stages of the final looked set for an early exit. However, she had the best score from her opening 10 standing shots, moving her from seventh to third. A blip on the opening single shot left the door open to her compatriot Katerina Stefankova and Germany's Anna Janssen. With the top two of Jeanette Hegg Duestad and Rikke Ibsen already qualified, the bronze medal was guaranteed to come with a World Cup Final spot.
Dubska held off Janssen who had drawn level to secure her first World Cup medal. To predict one of the qualifiers for Doha being her, you would have had to be mad. Now, the fairytale continues for the 21-year-old.
Emely Jaeggi
Nation: Switzerland
World Cup Ranking: 4
Qualification: ISSF World Cup rankings
Switzerland has a strong pedigree in this event, with Nina Christen and Chiara Leone winning the last two Olympic titles. With the strength of the team, it would not be out of the realms of possibility to see a third unique Swiss Olympic champion, with the rise of Emely Jaeggi.
At the time of publishing, Jaeggi turned 17 just a few days ago and yet was a serious contender for the national team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She would be overlooked in favour of the reigning Olympic champion Christen and the soon-to-be-crowned champion Leone.
It did not even look to be a contest at the start of the season, but Jaeggi was unfazed on the senior circuit having not long turned 15. On her debut, she took the bronze medal on her ISSF World Cup debut in the 50m rifle 3 positions final - one of the most stunning results in recent years. She continues to create headaches for selectors, albeit good ones.
This year, she showed 2024 was not a bluff. She made the final in Buenos Aires, finishing eighth, while also placing 20th in the 10m air rifle. She was back in action in Munich and was runner-up behind number one-ranked Jeanette Hegg Duestad. That silver medal is her best result to date. She claimed silver at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl behind her older sister Vivien. European junior silvers came in the 10m and 50m rifle prone events too.
Despite such early success on the podium, Jaeggi only has one international gold medal to her name - a Junior World Cup gold from two years ago. Her ISSF World Cup Final last year saw her finish 12th, and will look to find the form that puts her amongst the best in the world.
Nation: Switzerland
World Cup Ranking: 4
Qualification: ISSF World Cup rankings
Switzerland has a strong pedigree in this event, with Nina Christen and Chiara Leone winning the last two Olympic titles. With the strength of the team, it would not be out of the realms of possibility to see a third unique Swiss Olympic champion, with the rise of Emely Jaeggi.
At the time of publishing, Jaeggi turned 17 just a few days ago and yet was a serious contender for the national team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. She would be overlooked in favour of the reigning Olympic champion Christen and the soon-to-be-crowned champion Leone.
It did not even look to be a contest at the start of the season, but Jaeggi was unfazed on the senior circuit having not long turned 15. On her debut, she took the bronze medal on her ISSF World Cup debut in the 50m rifle 3 positions final - one of the most stunning results in recent years. She continues to create headaches for selectors, albeit good ones.
This year, she showed 2024 was not a bluff. She made the final in Buenos Aires, finishing eighth, while also placing 20th in the 10m air rifle. She was back in action in Munich and was runner-up behind number one-ranked Jeanette Hegg Duestad. That silver medal is her best result to date. She claimed silver at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl behind her older sister Vivien. European junior silvers came in the 10m and 50m rifle prone events too.
Despite such early success on the podium, Jaeggi only has one international gold medal to her name - a Junior World Cup gold from two years ago. Her ISSF World Cup Final last year saw her finish 12th, and will look to find the form that puts her amongst the best in the world.
Miao Wanru
Nation: China
World Cup Ranking: 6
Qualification: ISSF World Cup rankings
Miao Wanru surprised the world when she took the 2022 50m rifle 3 positions world title in Cairo on her international debut, but since then has not been a mainstay on the ISSF World Cup circuit.
In fact, she appeared only once the following year, finishing fourth on her debut in Rio de Janeiro. We would not see her again until she placed fifth at the 2024 Asian Championship in Jakarta.
Only this year have we seen Miao regularly. Her return to the circuit saw her finish fifth in Buenos Aires and then 24th in Lima. She was fifth again in Munich. A curious record for the 25-year-old, who must be one of the least-experienced world champions, internationally. Having this busy season has secured her first ISSF World Cup Final berth. In many respects she is an unknown entity. On the other hand, she is a world champion. Keep an eye on Miao in the competition.
All qualifiers for the ISSF World Cup Final can be found here and all World Cup rankings here.
Highest-ranked non-qualifiers still in contention: Anna Janssen (Germany), Nina Christen (Switzerland), Katerina Stefankova (Czechia).
Nation: China
World Cup Ranking: 6
Qualification: ISSF World Cup rankings
Miao Wanru surprised the world when she took the 2022 50m rifle 3 positions world title in Cairo on her international debut, but since then has not been a mainstay on the ISSF World Cup circuit.
In fact, she appeared only once the following year, finishing fourth on her debut in Rio de Janeiro. We would not see her again until she placed fifth at the 2024 Asian Championship in Jakarta.
Only this year have we seen Miao regularly. Her return to the circuit saw her finish fifth in Buenos Aires and then 24th in Lima. She was fifth again in Munich. A curious record for the 25-year-old, who must be one of the least-experienced world champions, internationally. Having this busy season has secured her first ISSF World Cup Final berth. In many respects she is an unknown entity. On the other hand, she is a world champion. Keep an eye on Miao in the competition.
All qualifiers for the ISSF World Cup Final can be found here and all World Cup rankings here.
Highest-ranked non-qualifiers still in contention: Anna Janssen (Germany), Nina Christen (Switzerland), Katerina Stefankova (Czechia).