Paris, July 25 (UNI) A record 21-member Indian shooting contingent will be in action at the Paris 2024 Olympics from July 27 to August 5.
All shooting competitions at the upcoming Summer Games will be held at the National Shooting Center in Châteauroux.
This will be the largest-ever Indian shooting team at the Olympics, comfortably eclipsing the 15 from Tokyo 2020. Indian shooters will be in action in all 15 shooting events at Paris 2024.
Former Youth Olympics champion Manu Bhaker will lead the Indian contingent in Paris and will compete in three pistol events – women’s 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 10m air pistol mixed team, the official sources said.
Of India’s 35 Olympic medals so far, four have come in shooting. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the first Summer Games shooting medal for India with a double trap silver at Athens 2004 and Abhinav Bindra’s 10m air rifle triumph at Beijing 2008 marking the country’s first Olympic gold medal in an individual event in any sports.
The other two podium finishes came at London 2012 with Vijay Kumar bagging silver in 25m men’s pistol and Gagan Narang clinching bronze in men’s 10m air rifle.
Despite regular successes at international meets, including at the ISSF World Cup series, Indian gunners, however, have shot blanks at the last two editions despite high expectations.
With a record contingent on show, India will look for a decent haul from Paris and end the lean patch.
Barring Manu Bhaker, rifle shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anjum Moudgil and Elavenil Valarivan are the returning members from the Tokyo 2020 squad while the rest will get a taste of their first Summer Games in Paris.
The lot includes Sift Kaur Samra, who won an individual gold medal in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions at the Asian Games last year with a world record in the final, and 19-year-old shooter Esha Singh, who won four medals in Hangzhou.
Asian Games champions Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema are in the 10m air pistol Indian team. Asian Games and Asian Championships silver medal winner Anant Jeet Singh Naruka will feature in skeet shotgun events.
The shooting action at Paris 2024 starts with 10m air rifle events on July 27 and concludes with the skeet mixed team gold medal match on August 5. A total of 45 medals – 15 gold, 15 silver and 15 bronze – will be on offer in the sport.
Paris 2024 Olympics: Indian shooting squad:
Rifle
Men’s 10m air rifle: Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta
Women’s 10m air rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita Jindal
Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil
Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale
10m air rifle mixed team: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal
Pistol
Men’s 10m air pistol: Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema
Women’s 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan
Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol: Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu
Women’s 25m pistol: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh
10m air pistol mixed team: Sarabjot Singh/Manu Bhaker, Arjun Singh Cheema/Rhythm Sangwan
Shotgun
Men’s trap: Prithviraj Tondaiman
Women’s trap: Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh
Men’s skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka
Women’s skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon
Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan.
