Task cut out as Indian shooters begin campaign in worlds

GRANADA, SPAIN: They may have been hitting the bulls eyes often in recent years but Indian shooters will still have their task cut out when they take to the range for the 51st World Championships starting here tomorrow, eyeing as many Olympic quotas as possible.

A total of 64 quota places for the 2016 Olympic Games will be up for grabs in the tough continental tournament, which will herald the beginning of the long and arduous journey to Rio de Janerio.

Over 2000 athletes from around 100 countries will be gunning for top honours in more than 50 events over the next 12 days of competitions at the CEAR Juan Carlos I shooting range in Las Gabias, on the outskirts of Granada.

Action from the first day of competition will feature, among others, Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, Sanjeev Rajput and trap ace Manavjit Singh Sandhu.

Other Indian hopefuls in the tournament include proven performers such as Gagan Narang, Vijay Kumar, Jitu Rai, Anisa Sayyed, Rahi Sarnabot, Heena Sidhu, Lajja Gauswamy, Ayonika Paul and Prakash Nanjappa to name a few.

Established names like Samaresh Jung and Anjali Bhagwat lend experience to the strong 47-member squad, which is well aware of the expectations.

The enormity of the event can be gauged from International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Secretary General Franz Schreiber's comment.

"The ISSF World Championship is the biggest shooting event, a milestone that recurs every four years. The road leading to Rio 2016 starts from here, and I am sure we will witness a great competition," Schreiber said.