Olympian Raiza Dhillon showcased remarkable skill in challenging conditions to secure a silver medal in the women’s skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany, on Thursday.

The Indian shooter hit 51 targets out of 60 in the final, finishing second to Great Britain’s Phoebe Bodley-Scott, who scored 53. German competitor Annabella Hettmer took the bronze medal.

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This achievement marks Raiza’s first individual ISSF World Cup medal at any level during her final junior year. It also contributes to India’s tally of three medals at the prestigious Suhl Junior World Cup, including a gold won by Kanak in the women’s air pistol event on Wednesday.

Inspiring Performance

Raiza began the day in fourth place with a score of 71 after three rounds of qualifying. She executed rounds of 22 and 23 to advance to the finals as the second qualifier.

Her second-place finish was solidified not only by her total of 116 after five rounds but also by excelling in a three-way 24-shot shoot-off against Phoebe and Hettmer.

Taking that momentum into the final, Raiza started strong with four clean hits at Station 3 and positioned herself second, trailing Phoebe after the first 10 targets, having missed just one.

“Yesterday was manageable, but today was really cold and windy,” Raiza commented post-final. As the conditions worsened, competitors began to falter.

The first to be eliminated after 20 targets was Lidiya Basharova of Kazakhstan, followed by reigning junior world champion Madeleine Russell of Britain, and then Italy’s Arianna Member. Raiza assured herself a medal with 32 hits in the first 40 targets.

Chasing gold, she struck 19 out of the next 20 targets, but was unable to overcome Phoebe’s lead of three in the last 10 targets, ultimately finishing with silver.

“It’s wonderful to have an ISSF World Cup medal. After adjusting my technique before the Olympics and finally feeling settled, I knew the results would follow. I carried the confidence from reaching the final at the Peru Senior World Cup into this event. I’m now focused on the upcoming Lonato World Cup,” she concluded.

Other Indian Scores from the Day:

Women’s Skeet

Vanshika Tiwari: 22, 23, 21, 20, 23 (109) – 15th

Yashasvi Rathore: 22, 22, 22, 20, 20 (106) – 19th

Mohika Sisidiya: 19, 18, 20, 22, 21 (100) – 28th

Men’s Skeet

Harmehar Lally: 24, 22, 22, 24, 25 (117) – 7th

Zoravar Singh Bedi: 23, 22, 22, 22, 23 (112) – 29th

Ishaan Singh Libra: 25, 22, 22, 20, 22 (111) – 35th

Jyotiraditya Sisodiya: 20, 23, 23, 21, 23 (110) – 38th

Atul Singh Rajawat: 22, 20, 22, 22, 19 (105) – 54th

10m Air Pistol Mixed Team

Urva Chaudhary/Chirag Sharma: 576 – 5th

Pushpender Singh/Sanskriti Bana: 560 – 21st

50m Rifle 3 Positions

Adriyan Karmakar – 589

Vedant Nitin Waghmare – 587

Manvendra Singh Shekhawat – 577

Harshvardhan Singh Naruka – 572

Rohit Kanyan – 560 (eliminated)

As the 2025 German Cup final draws near, Stuttgart striker Ermedin Demirovic is filled with mixed emotions. Now 27, the Bosnia international still feels the sting of his missed penalty in the 2022 final while representing Freiburg—a moment he admits might linger with him forever.

“Since that day,” Demirovic reflected, “I have gained a new understanding for anyone who has to take a penalty under such immense pressure.”

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During the 2022 final in May, Freiburg’s hopes were dashed by Leipzig, partly due to Demirovic’s missed spot-kick.

This Saturday at Berlin’s Olympic Stadium presents a fresh chance for redemption as Stuttgart takes on third-tier Arminia Bielefeld. Demirovic emphasizes that this matchup will not be taken lightly, according to reports from Xinhua.

“It doesn’t matter if a top-flight team faces a lower-league side; that doesn’t change the dynamics,” he asserted. “I know it sounds cliché, but cup finals have their own unique atmosphere and rules.”

While Stuttgart enters the match as favorites, having bounced back from a mid-season dip, Demirovic cautioned against overconfidence. “Even if we are seen as favorites after escaping a difficult league period, these 90 minutes or more are a level playing field,” he cautioned.

Demirovic hopes to avoid another tense penalty shootout but is ready to take the responsibility if necessary. “If needed, I would step up again,” he stated. “Football allows for fresh opportunities, no matter what has happened before.”

The striker views this match as a new beginning. “I’m with a different club now, and I’ve successfully converted penalties since that miss. This match feels like a new lease on life,” he noted.

Demirovic also pushed back against the narrative that Bielefeld are underdogs, pointing out their impressive run, having eliminated four Bundesliga teams on their journey to the final. “Just look at the teams they’ve beaten. It’s not just luck when they knock out Freiburg, Werder Bremen, Union Berlin, and Bayer Leverkusen,” he said.

His teammate, German international Deniz Undav, emphasized the significance of this occasion. “Competing in a final like this feels akin to facing Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the league or Champions League,” Undav remarked. “A cup final is an entirely different experience.”

For Demirovic and Stuttgart, Saturday offers a chance to forge new memories and finally move past the shadow of past disappointments.

Seventeen-year-old Ayush Mhatre, who has gained attention with an outstanding first-class debut for Mumbai and a strong start to his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings, has been appointed captain of the India Under-19 team for the upcoming multi-format tour of England in June-July 2025. The 16-member squad also features 14-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi, an exciting opener for Rajasthan Royals hailing from Bihar.

During the tour, India Under-19 will compete against England Under-19 in a 50-over warm-up match, a five-match Youth one-day series, and two multi-day matches. Wicketkeeper Abhigyan Kundu from Mumbai will serve as Mhatre’s vice-captain. The selection was made by the junior cricket committee chaired by Thilak Naidu.

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Other notable players in the squad include young Punjab batter Vihaan Malhotra, who has previously opened the innings with Suryavanshi. Previous India U-19 representatives also include wicketkeeper-batter Harvansh Pangalia from Saurashtra, Bengal bowler Yudhajit Guha, Kerala leg spinner Mohamed Enaan, and Punjab offspinner Anmoljeet Singh.

Enaan was the top wicket-taker (16) in the two Youth Tests against Australia U19, while Anmoljeet followed closely with nine. Pangalia also scored a century during that series.

Gujarat’s emerging allrounder Khilan Patel, the Player of the Series in the Cooch Behar Trophy, has also been included in the squad along with Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Henil Patel, Pranav Raghavendra, and Aditya Rana.

Standby players include Naman Pushpak, D Deepesh, Vedant Trivedi, Vikalp Tiwari, and wicketkeeper Alankrith Rapole.

The India Under-19 team will kick off the tour with a warm-up match at Loughborough University on June 24, followed by five youth ODIs scheduled across Hove, Northampton, and Worcester between June 27 and July 7.

After the limited overs matches, the first multi-day game is set to begin on July 15 in Beckenham, with the second match starting on July 20 at Chelmsford.

India U-19 Squad: Ayush Mhatre (C), Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Vihaan Malhotra, Maulyarajsinh Chavda, Rahul Kumar, Abhigyan Kundu (VC, WK), Harvansh Pangalia (WK), RS Ambrish, Kanishk Chouhan, Khilan Patel, Henil Patel, Yudhajit Guha, Pranav Raghavendra, Mohamed Enaan, Aditya Rana, Anmoljeet Singh