All six of the reigning women’s individual world champions have returned to the Azerbaijan capital of Baku - where they won their global titles last summer - to take part in the ISSF World Cup for Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun.
Three male individual world champions are also involved in an event that has attracted a total of 699 athletes from 84 nations and where finals start tomorrow at the Baku Olympic Shooting Range with the 10m air pistol mixed team.
No direct quota places for Paris 2024 will be awarded during this World Cup. But it is part of the Olympic Qualification System, offering athletes the chance to earn points towards the Qualification Ranking for the Games.
China clearly mean business as they field a team of 28 which includes three women world champions in Jiang Ranxin, Han Jiayu and Zhang Qiongyue, respective gold medallists in the 10m air pistol, 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions.
They also field 10m air pistol men world champion Zhang Bowen and Li Yuehong, who earned world gold in setting a 25m rapid fire pistol world record of 39.
The other world champions due to appear in Baku are Germany’s Doreen Vennekamp, the female ISSF World Athlete of the Year who equalled the then 25m pistol women world record of 40 as she took gold, Slovakia’s Danka Bartekova, winner in the skeet women, Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yi-chun, victor in the trap women and Austria’s Alexander Schmirl, who earned the 50m rifle 3 positions men title.
The three mixed team events that will take place at the Paris 2024 Games will also occur in Baku – in the 10m air rifle, the 10m air pistol and skeet.
The hosts will field 43 athletes, but Germany, with 34, will not be far behind.
As well as Vennekamp they also field European 10m air rifle champion Anna Janssen, Florian Peter, the 2023 World Cup Final gold medallist in the 25m rapid fire pistol and Christian Reitz, the Rio 2016 25m rapid fire pistol champion.
Meanwhile the prospective Olympic hosts, France, field a 26-strong team including the current Men’s ISSF Athlete of the Year Clement Bessaguet, world silver medallist in the 25m rapid fire pistol in 2022 and 2023, the reigning Olympic 25m rapid fire pistol champion Jean Quiquampoix and Tokyo 2020 Olympian in the skeet women, Lucie Anastassiou.
The World Cup continues until Saturday May 11, when it will conclude with three finals.
All finals will be streamed live on the ISSF YouTube and Facebook channels.