The ISSF 2019 shooting season commenced in New Delhi with the first World Cup of the year getting underway at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range. This is the third ISSF competition held in the Indian capital since 2017. And with plenty of Tokyo 2020 quota places up for grabs, it was all to play for.

A total of 500 athletes from 60 nations attended the World Cup which began with an opening ceremony in the evening of 21^st February. Knowing how to put on a show, traditional Indian dancing, gymnasts and even a saxophonist took to the stage throughout the night. With the festivities complete, athletes were up early the following day for last-minute training before the qualifying and final events.

The men’s 10m Air Rifle final saw team ELEY’s Sergey Kamenskiy cement his position as world number one with yet another medal winning performance. Using ELEY tenex air Sergey’s final shot scored a huge 10.6 clinching the gold and finishing with an overall score of 249.4. This confirmed his place atop of the podium and validates his ticket to the upcoming Olympics.

Another ELEY athlete heading to Tokyo next year is Serbian pistol shooter Damir Mikec. A closely fought battle in the 10m Men’s Air Pistol final left him with a total score of 239.3 earning him a sought-after quota place to the next Olympic Games. This will be the fourth time Mikec has competed on a global stage at the Olympics, with his first being Beijing in 2008.

Switzerland also came away victorious in the 50m Women’s Rifle 3 Position final, with ELEY shooter Nina Christen holding off China’s Mengyao Shi to claim gold. ELEY tenex helped Nina claim her first World Cup gold with a score of 457.1. This high score also awarded her a coveted 2020 quota place.

ELEY shooters Kim Junhong and Yelizaveta Korol put on stunning shooting displays in the 25m Men’s Rapid Fire Pistol and 50m Women’s Rifle 3 Position finals respectively. They took home two medals between them, adding to ELEY’s shooting success in New Delhi.

With the first major competition of 2019 over, attention turns to the next ISSF World Cup which is being held in Beijing, China this April. We can’t wait!