New Delhi, 05 March (H.S.): Fresh from dominating the Asian Rifle-Pistol Championship 2026 on home soil—where India clinched 76 medals including 39 gold, 18 silver, and 19 bronze to top the standings—India's elite rifle and pistol shooters are now focusing on National Selection Trials 3 (Group A) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here from March 6 to 10.

Nearly all top national marksmen will compete in 10 events, encompassing the eight Olympic disciplines plus men's and women's rifle prone competitions. These trials, ahead of a demanding international and domestic calendar starting next month, will help secure spots in the national team for the year's second phase of global events.

Group B rifle-pistol Trials 3 and 4 commence March 6 at the M.P. State Shooting Academy in Bhopal, running through March 22. Post-trials, selected squad members will attend a coaching camp in New Delhi from March 10 to 21.

Shotgun national camp kicked off today in the capital with skeet shooters reporting first; trap athletes join on March 8, preceding a pre-event camp for the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Tangier, Morocco (March 21–April 3)—the season's opener. Teams for the first two rifle/pistol World Cups (Grenada, Munich) and shotgun events (Tangier, Almaty) have been announced.

With the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic cycle underway—first quota spots up for grabs at the ISSF World Championship in October–November 2026—plus Asian Games on the horizon, these domestic and international trials will be pivotal for rifle, pistol, and shotgun team selections.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar