A total of 808 athletes from 66 countries and 70 Member Federations will compete across rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines, generating 1,537 starts throughout the championship. The impressive participation figures underline the global appeal of the event and highlight the strength of the next generation of shooting sport athletes.
Suhl has long been recognised as one of the sport's most important venues for junior development, with many Olympic, World and Continental champions having launched their international careers at the German shooting centre. Once again, the championship promises a unique opportunity for emerging talents to test themselves against the world's best junior athletes.
Among the athletes to watch is Bethany Norton (GBR), who arrives in Suhl as one of the most exciting young talents in international shotgun shooting. Earlier this season, the British athlete made headlines by winning gold in the Skeet Women event at the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Tangier, Morocco, becoming a World Cup champion in her first-ever senior ISSF World Cup final. The 19-year-old also set a Junior World Record in the final, defeating a field that included Olympic and World Championship medallists.
Spain's Inés Ortega Castro (ESP) has enjoyed a breakthrough season in pistol shooting. The 19-year-old captured the Junior European title in 10m Air Pistol in Burgas and followed it with her first senior international gold medal at the ISSF Grand Prix in Ruse. Currently ranked among the world's leading athletes in her discipline, Ortega Castro has rapidly established herself as one of the brightest prospects in European shooting sport.
Croatia's Toni Gudelj enters Suhl as one of the leading names in junior shotgun competition. The Croatian athlete enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 season, winning Trap Men Junior gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi after a commanding performance in the final, where he finished ahead of Spain's Isaac Hernandez and India's Vinay Pratap Singh Chandrawat. The victory came just months after he had already secured a bronze medal at the Junior World Cup in Suhl, demonstrating remarkable consistency across the season. As one of the few athletes in the field with multiple ISSF Junior World Cup medals to his name, Gudelj will be aiming to add a world championship podium to his growing list of achievements.
Italy's Arianna Nember arrives in Suhl as one of the favourites in Women's Skeet. The Italian claimed gold at the ISSF Junior World Cup in New Delhi in 2025, adding to a résumé that already included medals at the ISSF Junior World Championship and European junior level. Having consistently featured among the world's top junior skeet athletes over the past two seasons, Nember will be looking to convert that experience into another major title in Suhl.
Beyond the individual storylines, the ISSF Junior World Championship represents an important milestone in the development pathway towards senior international competition.
Over eleven days of competition, medals will be awarded across a full programme of individual, team and mixed team events, offering athletes from every continent the opportunity to showcase their talent and represent their nations on one of junior shooting sport's biggest stages.
