Olympian Raiza Dhillon won silver in women’s skeet at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, continuing India’s medal streak. With a 51-target finish, Raiza claimed her first individual World Cup medal. India now has three medals in the tournament, showcasing strong junior shooting talent.
Continuing India’s impressive medal-a-day streak at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2025, Olympian Raiza Dhillon won a hard-fought silver medal in the women’s skeet event on Thursday. Competing under cold and blustery conditions, Raiza’s performance stood out as she secured her first individual ISSF World Cup medal in her final year as a junior athlete.
The 20-year-old shooter from India hit 51 targets out of 60 in the final round, finishing just behind Phoebe Bodley-Scott of Great Britain, who clinched gold with a score of 53. Annabella Hettmer, the home favorite from Germany, took bronze.
A Determined Climb to the Podium
Raiza began the day trailing in fourth place after the first three rounds of qualifying, having scored 71. However, she delivered two strong rounds of 22 and 23 to push her aggregate to 116, enough to force a three-way shoot-off with Phoebe and Annabella for the second qualification spot.
Emerging victorious in the shoot-off, Raiza carried that momentum into the finals, starting with four clean hits on Station 3. She quickly moved into second place after the first 10 targets, staying just one miss behind Phoebe.
“Yesterday was ok, but today was really cold and windy,” Raiza said, reflecting on the tricky weather. The tough conditions saw several top competitors, including reigning junior world and European champions, eliminated early. By the 40-target mark, Raiza had struck 32 targets, ensuring India another medal.
In a gripping final stretch, she managed to hit 19 of her next 20 targets, closing the gap but not enough to overtake Phoebe’s lead. She ultimately finished two points short, securing silver for India.
Reflections and Future Goals
“Yes, it’s nice to have an ISSF World Cup medal,” Raiza remarked. “After changing my technique before the Olympics and taking time to settle down, I was confident results would come.” She credited her finals appearance at the Peru Senior World Cup for the boost in confidence and now sets her sights on the upcoming World Cup in Lonato.
Raiza’s silver added to India’s medal haul in Suhl, following Kanak’s gold in women’s air pistol on Wednesday. It marked India’s third medal of the tournament, underlining the country’s growing prowess in junior shooting sports.
Other Indian Performances
Several other Indian shooters competed across categories with mixed results:
Women’s Skeet:
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Vanshika Tiwari scored 109 (15th place)
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Yashasvi Rathore shot 106 (19th)
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Mohika Sisidiya ended with 100 (28th)
Men’s Skeet:
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Harmehar Lally narrowly missed the final with 117 (7th)
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Zoravar Singh Bedi posted 112 (29th)
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Ishaan Singh Libra managed 111 (35th)
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Jyotiraditya Sisodiya hit 110 (38th)
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Atul Singh Rajawat finished with 105 (54th)
10m Air Pistol Mixed Team:
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Urva Chaudhary and Chirag Sharma placed 5th with 576
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Pushpender Singh and Sanskriti Bana finished 21st with 560
50m Rifle 3 Positions:
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Adriyan Karmakar led the Indian pack with 589
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Followed by Vedant Nitin Waghmare (587), Manvendra Singh Shekhawat (577), Harshvardhan Singh Naruka (572), and Rohit Kanyan (560 – eliminated)
With multiple categories yet to conclude, Team India is poised to add more to their medal tally in what is turning out to be a stellar campaign in Suhl.
