Why 2021 ISSF World Cup Osijek is the perfect platform for Indian shooters heading to the Tokyo Olympics

The 2021 ISSF World Cup 2nd stage, which will be held in Osijek, Croatia from 22nd June 2021 to 3rd July 2021, will be the ideal competition for the Indian shooting roster to assess their preparation for the Tokyo Olympics.

Like most other disciplines, there has been very little competition in shooting as well since the outbreak of the pandemic last year. The ISSF World Cup Series of 2020 was cancelled altogether, and even the 2021 ISSF World Cup Series got affected because of the pandemic. Since the 2021 ISSF World Cup in Delhi, there have been no major competitions for our shooters.

The Indian shooting contingent has been training in Croatia for the past month now. They did have an opportunity to shoot in the qualification rounds of the 2021 European shooting championships, but there has been a lack of real match pressure on them. All these factors further signify the importance of the 2021 ISSF World Cup in Osijek for the Indian shooting team in the lead up to Tokyo Olympics 2020.

2021 ISSF World Cup Osijek is a perfect platform

An idea of scores that would be required to qualify for finals at the Tokyo Olympics

With the level of competition increasing day by day, the sport of shooting is becoming all that more exciting and unpredictable. The scores required to qualify for the finals of key events have increased significantly in the past 4 years.

As the @ISSF_Shooting World Cup beckons, the Mixed Team pistol 🔫 pairs get into competition mode #zagreb #tokyotraining #indianshootingteam #shootingworldcup @WeAreTeamIndia @Tokyo2020 @realmanubhaker @SChaudhary2002 @abhishek_70007 #yashaswinideswal pic.twitter.com/wMf22NPIbF

— NRAI (@OfficialNRAI) June 18, 2021

Indian shooters have been producing some ground-breaking scores in the current Olympic cycle. However, due to the lack of tournaments in 2020 and 2021, it is hard to be sure exactly where they stand.

Having an ISSF World Cup tournament just before the Tokyo Olympics 2020 will provide the Indian shooters with an idea as to what kind of scores will be required to qualify for the finals of a particular event. This factor will be very important for the shooters.

A perfect platform to address shortcomings

The Indian shooting contingent for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 has been in training mode since the beginning of the pandemic, and the 2021 ISSF World Cup Osijek will be their next test.

The 10m air rifle and the 10m air pistol mixed-gender teams were at their imperious best and won the title at the 2021 ISSF World Cup New Delhi stage. Some scintillating performances were delivered by the likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Yashaswani Singh Deswal, to name a few at their respective events.

However, certain issues surfaced with the likes of Apurvi Chandela (10m air rifle) and Angad Vir Singh Bajwa (Skeet) because of their ill-fitting kits. This problem, surprisingly, was a result of the improved fitness of these athletes.

Issues can arise with certain Indian shooters at the 2021 ISSF World Cup Osijek stage as well. However, even if they do come across any technical issues, they will have enough time to rectify their shortcomings before the start of the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

The Indian shooting team have been producing some extraordinary performances since the disappointment of Rio Olympics 2016. They have been the best performing team at the ISSF World Cup events since the beginning of 2017.

The 2021 ISSF World Cup Osijek stage will be an important platform for our shooting contingent to further work on their strengths and weaknesses before they take centre stage and look to rewrite the history books at Tokyo Olympics 2020.