Seven win at 2025 ISSF Athlete of the Year Awards

Seven athletes were named the winners of the 2025 ISSF Athlete of the Year Awards during the Opening Ceremony for the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar.

Norway's 50m rifle 3 positions world champion Jeanette Hegg Duestad claimed two accolades, ISSF Women's Rifle Athlete of the Year and the ISSF People's Choice Women's Athlete Award.

Six categories, covering rifle, shotgun and pistol, were determined by a significant group of shooting sport experts, among athletes, coaches and journalists, while the ISSF People's Choice Awards were voted on by the shooting sport community.

Duestad's consistent teammate, Jon-Hermann Hegg, was announced as the winner of the ISSF Men's Rifle Athlete of the Year category, while Chinese duo Hu Kai and Sun Yujie were named the ISSF Men's and Women's Pistol Athletes of the Year respectively. Hu became the first athlete to win all four ISSF World Cup legs in a season, while Sun won all three she competed in, in her debut season.

World champions Vincent Hancock and Samantha Simonton of the United States took the crowns in the ISSF Men's and Women's Shotgun Athletes of the Year categories.

The ISSF People's Choice Men's Athlete Award was won by India's Zoravar Singh Sandhu, who won his first individual medal in 18 years when the 48-year-old took bronze at the ISSF World Championship Shotgun, his best-ever finish at the competition.

The top five in each category are as follows:

ISSF Men's Rifle Athlete of the Year

1. Jon-Hermann Hegg (Norway)
2. Istvan Peni (Hungary)
3. Jiri Privratsky (Czechia)
4. Ilia Marsov (AIN)
5. Sheng Lihao (China)


ISSF Women's Rifle Athlete of the Year

1. Jeanette Hegg Duestad (Norway)
2. Wang Zifei (China)
3. Kwon Eun-ji (Republic of Korea)
4. Sift Kaur Samra (India)
5. Peng Xinlu (China)


ISSF Men's Pistol Athlete of the Year

1. Hu Kai (China) 
2. Florian Peter (Germany)
3. Jean Quiquampoix (France)
4. Jason Solari (Switzerland)
5. Clement Bessaguet (France)


ISSF Women's Pistol Athlete of the Year

1. Sun Yujie (China)
2. Yao Qianxun (China)
3. Oh Ye-jin (Republic of Korea)
4. Suruchi Singh (India)
5. Yang Ji-in (Republic of Korea)


ISSF Men's Shotgun Athlete of the Year

1. Vincent Hancock (USA)
2. Mauro de Filippis (Italy)
3. Josip Glasnovic (Croatia)
4. Daniel Korcak (Czechia)
5. Elia Sdruccioli (Italy)


ISSF Women's Shotgun Athlete of the Year

1. Samantha Simonton (USA)
2. Silvana Stanco (Italy)
3. Mar Molne (Spain) 
4. Dania Vizzi (USA)
5. Jiang Yiting (China)


ISSF People's Choice Men's Athlete Award

1. Zoravar Singh Sandhu (India)
2. Rudrankksh Patil (India) 
3. Atallah Nidaa Alanazi (Saudi Arabia)
4. Manuel Murcia (Spain)
5. Jean Pierre Brol (Guatemala)


ISSF People's Choice Women's Athlete Award

1. Jeanette Hegg Duestad (Norway)
2. Brenda Rodrigues (Brazil)
3. Konstantia Nikolaou (Cyprus)
4. Lada Denisova (AIN)
5. Rikke Ibsen (Denmark)