The National Rifle Association of India on Tuesday announced a 15-member Indian Rifle and Pistol squad for the Paris 2024 Olympics
Two-time Olympian Manu Bhaker is the only athlete who would be participating in more than one individual event- the women’s 10m air pistol and the women’s 25m pistol.
The team consists of eight rifle and seven pistol shooters, with the members along with the coaches and support staff currently in a camp in Volmerange-Les-Mines.
World champion Rudrankksh Patil and World Championship silver medallist, Mehuli Ghosh and bronze medallist Akhil Sehoran were some of the leading shooters to miss the cut, along with few others like Tilottama Sen, Shriyanka Sadangi and Varun Tomar who had won the Olympic quota.
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, Senior Vice President, NRAI, said, “The selection committee met and deliberated at length. After deliberating at length, we feel we have selected the best team on current form as per merit and sticking to the policy. We are confident that everything has been put in place for the team to deliver. Given our depth in Rifle and Pistol, some very good shooters are not part of the squad. However, they will have a chance to make a comeback. We wish the squad all the very best.”
K Sultan Singh, Secretary General, NRAI, says “The team is in good form & battle ready, consisting of as many as four Olympians and other senior shooters as well as a lot of extremely promising, confident & matured young talent. They have been training very systematically for a long time under the guidance and support of the entire training squad of the HPD, foreign coaches, national coaches, the sports science team, the physios etc. who have been steadfastly & minutely working towards one goal and that is to have a successful podium finish. We are confident that the team will make the Nation very proud in Paris.”
India has earned a record of 21 quotas in shooting for the upcoming Olympic Games. Besides all 16 possible shots at a medal, in eight individual rifle and pistol events, India will also have a record five starts across the four individual shotgun events.
In addition, India will also field five mixed teams, two each in rifle and pistol and one in shotgun.
The Shotgun team will also be announced soon after the on-going Lonato International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
NRAI will also be looking to exchange the spare women’s pistol quota place to women’s trap quota which has freed up because of Manu making it to two events, appropriately as per ISSF rules.
The Indian Rifle and Pistol Team for Paris Olympics 2024:
Rifle
Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta (10m Air Rifle M)
Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita (10m Air Rifle W)
Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil (50m Rifle 3 Positions W)
Aishwary Tomar, Swapnil Kusale (50m Rifle 3 Positions M)
Pistol
Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema (10m Air Pistol M)
Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan (10m Air Pistol W)
Anish Bhanwal, Vijayveer Sidhu (25m RFP M)
Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh (25m Pistol W)
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