CHENNAI: The shotgun squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics is out. As was expected, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body of the sport in the country, had to make some tough decisions. Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Ganemat Sekhon are some of the notable names to miss out.
Trap shooter Bhowneesh, who had earned the country's first quota during the World Championships (Osijek, Croatia) in 2022, had finished fourth in the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Lonato del Garda (Italy). A podium finish could have possibly earned him that much-needed push. Two-time World Cup medallist, Prithviraj Tondaiman, was preferred by the selectors instead.
It was somewhat a similar tale for Ganemat. The skeet shooter had reached the six-woman final on Monday before being the first to be eliminated. Quota winners, Maheshwari Chauhan and Raiza Dhillon, will be leading the charge in the women's skeet event in the upcoming Games.
"There was intense competition for places and things could have changed in case some shooters medalled at the Lonato World Cup... But we believe that we have a great shotgun team, which has won the highest ever spots for India at any Games and certainly a second Olympic medal in the discipline looks a strong possibility," K Sultan Singh, NRAI secretary general, stated in a release on Tuesday.
Maheshwari will also be taking part in the skeet mixed team event alongside Anantjeet Singh Naruka. Anantjeet will be representing the country in the men's skeet individual event.
There were no surprises in the women's trap event. Quota winner Rajeshwari Kumari, as expected, will be travelling to Paris.
Shreyasi for women's trap
Meanwhile, the NRAI revealed that they have written to the ISSF, the world body, for quota swap (women's pistol to women's trap). As things stand, the NRAI has included Shreyasi Singh's name in the squad. If the federation gets the approval from ISSF, Shreyasi will be lining up alongside Rajeshwari in Paris as the second trap shooter in the women's section in Paris..
Set for Paris Olympics
India's shotgun team: Men's trap: Prithviraj Tondaiman; Women's trap: Rajeshwari Kumari; Men's skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka; Women's skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon; Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet/Maheshwari.
