The International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Shotgun World Cup is held in multiple stages throughout the year.
Tangier, Morocco: March 25 to April 3, 2026
Almaty, Kazakhstan: May 2 to 11 2026
Lonato, Italy: July 3 to 13, 2026
Neeru Dhanda won the gold medal in the women’s trap event in the recently concluded ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy. The gold medal was her first-ever individual medal at the ISSF World Cup and her second overall.
Earlier this year, during the Almaty leg, Neeru paired up with Vivaan Kumar and won bronze in the mixed trap event. The bronze was India’s only ISSF World Cup medal in Shotgun, before her gold medal in Italy.
Neeru made the final after topping the qualifiers with 121 points out of a maximum 125 points, and she carried the same form in the 8-woman final. She comfortably made it into the top three to confirm a podium finish.
However, Neeru had tough competition at the end with the former world champion and Olympian, Carole Cormenier, who was tied on 25 with the last two shots in the final round.
The Indian shooter shot 27 out of 30 to get the gold, while Carole Cormenier finished second with 25, and Italy’s Erica Sessa finished third with 19.
India’s Manisha Keer narrowly missed out on a spot in the medal round after she finished 10th in the qualifier round. The 2024 Paris Olympics silver medalist, Silvana Stanco, had a disappointing run and was the first one to be eliminated.
“After qualifying for the final, my only motive was to go back with the gold medal. My full focus was on giving my 200 per cent. I gave it my best. Thank you to the National Rifle Association of India, the Indian Army and Olympic Gold Quest,” Neeru said after the final.
“I have been missing this medal for the last three times, and my challenge was to keep my bib number at the very top. I wanted to fight from qualification to the final, and it paid off,” she said.
“Watching the national flag go up on the podium was an incredible feeling. It made me realise that the world’s best shooters are well within our reach. We did not have a women’s trap medal at this level for a very long time, so this gold finally breaks that barrier. I am confident that medals will now come much more consistently for India.”
“This gold is a great start, but the real work begins now. We have the National Camp coming up, and my focus is completely on the World Championships and securing the Olympic quota. My ultimate goal is to win a gold medal at the Los Angeles Olympics, and our preparation for that dream starts right here.”
Neeru will next present India at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games later this year, having maintained her consistency in the final, missing only three targets — the second, 13th and 25th shots — to earn a well-deserved maiden World Cup gold.
