3 min readUpdated: Mar 13, 2026 07:30 PM IST
After months of waiting, reigning 10m air pistol world champion Samrat Rana, 57 kg boxing world champion Jaismine Lamboria and three-time World Cup medallist shooter Suruchi Inder Singh have been inducted into the core group of Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) after the 169th meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Wednesday.
The Indian Express understands that their consistent performances have prompted MOC to take notice and add them to the core list, despite updating the list at the start of the year.
One of the best Indian boxers on the circuit right now, Jaismine had a strong season last year with a World title and multiple other international medals. Her absence from the core group at the start of the year had raised eyebrows, similar to the absence of India’s first-ever Pistol World Champion, Samrat Rana, and one of the most consistent shooters, Suruchi.
Niraj, who was previously part of TOPS, was removed at the start of last year. After winning silver in the 50m 3P event last month at the Asian Shooting Championships, Niraj said,” Because of the lack of government support, I’m still struggling a little bit. If we are part of the TOP Scheme, we face fewer issues in training. We usually get ammunition when we need it. We can also get it tested before we get it. If I’m not part of TOPS, it’s a lot more challenging to get the right ammunition. There is support from the government, and one moves forward with double the energy.”
He hoped that he would be included after his performance at the Asian Championships. “I did email TOPS before I went to the World Championships. They said that they will review the performances and then we will see. But so far, nothing has come yet. I hope that they’ll consider me once again now that I have a medal from the Asian Championships,” he had mentioned.
TOPS Core athletes get a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000. They are also $25 per day during the period of training and competition overseas.
There were some exclusions also from the existing TOPS list with former World Championships medallist shuttler HS Prannoy, shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar and Tokyo Olympian Deepak Punia dropped from the core group after a string of poor performances.
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Gulveer in the core group
One of India’s best international performers in athletics, long-distance runner Gulveer Singh has been moved from the developmental to the core group.
He has been constantly improving his timings in 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres since last year and is going to be one of the biggest medal prospects at the Asian Games in both events.
Shuttlers Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto moved from the developmental to the core group, while world champion para shuttler Pramod Bhagat was also inducted to the core group.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
