Ronjan Sodhi all set to defend World Cup title

His confidence quite high with a strong performance throughout the 2011 season, ace Indian double trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi is hoping to defend his World Cup Final title at Al Ain in the UAE.

Sodhi is the only Indian shooter to have qualified for the prestigious Shotgun World Cup Final, beginning on Tuesday.

"It's been indeed a great year for me. From the World No.1 rankings to two back-to-back medals at the World Cup and my first ever Olympics qualification, it feels like one the best years for me. I also realise that all this has happened due to my consistency in performance and I hope to continue with this in the future," the Asian Games gold medallist said.

The Punjab shooter said it was not easy to make the grade for the World Cup Finals and he is happy to do that.

"If you see the qualification list for the World Cup Finals for the last three or four years, it has been the same seven or eight shooters. This is season-ending elite event where consistency is the key to make the cut.

"Scores shot during the 4 World Cups in the season and the final position are taken into account to qualify for the World Cup Final and I feel glad to be at this position," Sodhi, who is now ranked eighth in the world, said.

Sodhi's presence at the World Cup finals this year marks his fifth consecutive appearance at the event. The Punjab marksman has managed an excellent average of 142.6 in the last 26 international competitions.