India’s leading air rifle shooters are set to headline the 16th RR Lakshya Cup, powered by RR Global, at the Lakshya Shooting Club, Karnala Sports Academy, Panvel, Navi Mumbai, on February 21 and 22.

The invitation-only tournament has grown into one of the country’s most respected rifle competitions, attracting top junior and senior talent in a professionally structured, high-performance environment aligned with international standards.

Founded in 2006, Lakshya Shooting Club introduced the Lakshya Cup as an intra-club event in 2009 before expanding it into a national-level competition in 2016. The tournament was conceptualised by Olympian, Arjuna Awardee and Dronacharya Awardee Suma Shirur, who serves as the founder and high performance director of the academy.

“The Lakshya Cup was created to prepare Indian rifle shooters for the rigours of international sport. High performance is built through structure, discipline and exposure to competitive pressure,” Shirur said ahead of the 16th edition.

A defining feature of the event is its commitment to gender parity. Women and men in the senior category, as well as girls and boys in the junior division, compete together for equal podium positions, reinforcing the belief that excellence in shooting is determined by skill and temperament, not gender.

The Junior 10m air rifle final will be held at 2 pm on February 22, followed by the senior final at 3.30 pm with the prize distribution ceremony scheduled for 5:30 pm.

The 10m air rifle discipline holds special significance in Indian sport since Abhinav Bindra won India’s first individual Olympic gold at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

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