NEW DELHI, March 25: India’s foreign trap coach Peter Wilson on Wednesday said that the country’s top trap marksman Zoravar Singh Sandhu has been left out from the season-opening ISSF Shotgun World Cup due to “workload management”.
The 12-member Indian contingent is all set for the World Cup in Tangier, but conspicuous by his absence is Zoravar, the World Championships bronze medallist who became only the third Indian trap shooter to win a medal on the big stage last year.
En route to Tangier, Wilson, the London Olympic gold medallist, told PTI that the 46-year-old stalwart Zoravar will return to the side “hundred percent”, with next year being crucial for Indian shooting as qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics begins.
Zoravar is currently ranked fourth in the world and given his global ranking he should have been India’s best bet but Wilson said, “So, whether Zoravar was first, second, third, or last in the world, it would still mean that we would manage his workload and he wouldn’t be expected to shoot every competition.
“We’ve got good depth, and my intention is that they all get the chance to compete on the world stage. But with regard to Zoravar, as I said, the best would be to contact the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI),” said Wilson before boarding his flight for Morocco.
Wilson indicated that the shooting team’s workload management is overseen by Pierre Beauchamp, the High Performance Director (HPD) of the NRAI, and that he would be the best person to comment on the matter.
“The best thing is to contact the NRAI themselves or Pierre Beauchamp, and then hear it from the horse’s mouth. But I can’t elaborate more than that at the moment (on Zoravar),” said Wilson.Interestingly, Zoravar’s name is also missing from next month’s ISSF Shotgun World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan. (PTI)
TEAM
Trap (men): Prithviraj Tondaiman, Kynan Chenai, Bhowneesh Mendiratta. (Women) Kirti Gupta, Rajeshwari Kumari, Aashima Ahlawat.
Skeet: (men) Man Singh, Jyotiraditya Singh Sisodiya, Parampal Singh. (Women): Yashasvi Rathore, Darshana Rathore, Maheshwari Chauhan. Mixed team: Prithviraj Tondaiman & Kirti Gupta. Kynan Chenai & Rajeshwari Kumari.
