New Delhi, October 7th, 2025: The world’s finest shotgun shooters are set to assemble in Athens, Greece, for the ISSF World Championship Shotgun 2025, scheduled from October 8 to 19 at the Malakasa Shooting Range of the Greek capital. A total of five medal events — men’s and women’s trap and skeet, along with the trap mixed team, all Olympic events, are on the roster over seven days of competition, with the first day of competition scheduled for October 10, 2025.
A total of 68 federations have entered 406 athletes undertaking 518 starts, including six current Olympic medallists. India has sent a 12-member squad featuring current Asian champions in men’s skeet and women’s trap – Anantjeet Singh Naruka and Neeru Dhanda respectively, among others. Men’s trap silver medalist at the recently concluded Shymkent Asian championships Bhowneesh Mendiratta, and women’s trap bronze medalist Aashima Ahlawat, are also in the squad as are veterans Zoravar Singh Sandhu (men’s trap) and Mairaj Ahmad Khan (men’s skeet).
For India, the championship presents an opportunity to build on its growing strength in shooting sports. The country’s best performance at the Olympic events at the Shotgun Worlds remains the historic gold medal won by Manavjeet Singh Sandhu in the men’s trap event at Zagreb in 2006.
In men’s skeet, all eyes will be on the American duo of Vincent Hancock, four-time Olympic gold medalist and the reigning champion and Conner Prince, who claimed silver in Paris 2024. Hancock also captured gold earlier this year in Lonato. They will be joined by 2023 World Championship medallists Eetu Kallioinen of Finland (silver) and Azmy Mehelba of Egypt (bronze), also a former world champion as a star-studded line-up among 121 athletes, gather to compete in this category.
The field will also feature several top-ranked shooters including World No.1 Christian Elliott of the USA, who won gold in Buenos Aires and silver in Lima earlier this year. Representing India in this event will be Asian Champion Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, and Mairaj Ahmad Khan, who will aim to make their mark against one of the strongest skeet fields in recent years.
In the women’s skeet, the competition promises to be equally intense, with 63 athletes in contention. Leading the field will be World No.1 Samantha Simonton of the USA, who won gold in Lonato and also secured silver in Lima and Nicosia. She will be joined by her compatriot Dania Jo Vizzi, World No.3 and the Baku World Championship silver medalist, who has had a remarkable season with gold in Buenos Aires, silver in Lonato, and bronze in Lima.
Host nation Greece will be represented by World No.6 Emmanouela Katzouraki, the Baku World Championship bronze medalist. From India, Olympian Raiza Dhillon, Ganemat Sekhon, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal will shoulder the country’s challenge.
The men’s trap event will see participation from 141 athletes, including reigning World Champion Giovanni Cernogoraz of Croatia, who will be joined by his 2023 World Championship podium mates Marián Kovačócy of Slovakia and Khaled Al-Mudhaf of Kuwait.
The field also includes Paris Olympic gold medalist Nathan Hales of Great Britain and Paris Olympic bronze medalist Jean Pierre Brol of Guatemala, who is also ranked World No.4 and a Buenos Aires gold medalist.
Among the top-ranked names in the line-up are World No.1 Mauro De Filippis (Italy) and World No.2 William Hinton (USA), who won gold in Lima. Bhowneesh Mendiratta, Vivaan Kapoor, and Zoravar Singh Sandhu will represent India in this category.
In the women’s trap, defending World Champion Lin Yi-Chun of Chinese Taipei returns to defend her title. The 80-strong field includes World Championship bronze medalist Kathrin Murche of Germany, World No.1 Lada Denisova (AIN), who won gold at the Nicosia World Cup, and Paris Olympic champion Adriana Ruano of Guatemala.
Among other top contenders are World No.2 Silvana Stanco of Italy, the Paris Olympic silver medalist who also won gold in Lima and silver in Lonato. India’s line-up in the event will feature World No.8 Neeru Dhanda, alongside Aashima Ahlawat and Kirti Gupta.
The trap mixed team event will see 55 teams from 35 federations competing, with several countries fielding two pairs. India will enter two combinations: Neeru partnering Bhowneesh Mendiratta, and Aashima Ahlawat teaming up with Zoravar Singh Sandhu.
The event features several decorated pairings including Mitchell Illes and Penny Smith of Australia, who won gold in Lima and silver in Buenos Aires, with Illes also taking gold in Lonato alongside Laetisha Scanlan. Other prominent names include Wan-Yu Liu and Kun-Pi Yang of Chinese Taipei, the Buenos Aires gold medallists.
The medals for the 2025 ISSF World Championship Shotgun pay tribute to Athens’ Olympic heritage. The reverse side features a laurel branch, a symbol of victory rooted in ancient Greece, encircling a shooting target that reflects precision and focus, with embossed dots representing the spread of shotgun pellets.
The front bears the ISSF logo, while the back carries the inscription “ISSF World Championship Shotgun” and “Athens 2025,” honouring the city that first hosted the modern Olympic Games.
All medal winners from Athens will earn automatic qualification for the ISSF World Cup Final 2025 in Doha, Qatar, later this year.
Follow Revsportz for latest sports news