ISSF rankings: India finishes 2019 as No. 1

Olympic heavyweights China and the U.S. are second and third, respectively.

Thanks to its sparkling performance in 2019, India finished the year as the top shooting nation in the world. It won 21 gold, six silver and three bronze medals, and topped the Rifle-Pistol World Cups and finals.

Olympic heavyweights China — 11 gold, 15 silver and 18 bronze — and the U.S. — six gold, six silver and three bronze — are second and third, respectively. India overtook China and the U.S. in the past year.

Raninder Singh, president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), tweeted a screenshot of the International Shooting Sport Federation rankings for 2019. “Well done Team India,” he wrote.

Rapid rise

The number of Olympic quotas now stands at a record 15. It is a reflection of India’s rapid rise in the sport and sets up the shooters nicely for a record haul at the Tokyo Olympics, after the lacklustre performance at the Rio Olympics.

WELL DONE TEAM INDIA pic.twitter.com/mNiVejPYLR

— Raninder Singh (@RaninderSingh) January 11, 2020

 

Besides the shooters, the federation has also worked extensively towards bringing the sport to where it is today.

India’s best showing at the Olympics was in 2012, when it won two medals in London. If the shooters’ exploits are anything to go by, India can easily emulate it or better it in Tokyo.