Paris Olympics Countdown: After Rio, Tokyo debacle, shooters aim for bull's eye in France

New Delhi: India's 21-member shooting squad is the second largest after athletics in the upcoming Paris Olympics. It is also India's largest-ever shooting contingent in the history of the Games, surpassing the previous best of 15 from Tokyo. As the number of shooters has increased in the squad, the expectations from them have also multiplied many folds after firing blanks and returning empty-handed from the last two Olympics despite putting up a record number of players.

In fact, India's last Olympic medal(s) in the sport came in the 2012 London Olympics when Vijay Kumar shot a silver in men’s 25m rapid fire pistol and Gagan Narang claimed a bronze medal in men's 10m air rifle. Narang is currently in Paris as India's Chef-de-Mission.

India's first Olympic medal in shooting was bagged by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore when he claimed silver in men's double trap in the 2004 Athens Olympics. Since then the country has clinched three more medals in the sport including Abhinav Bindra's gold in men's 10m air rifle in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

This time, India may expect a better result in shooting and hope to continue the medal-winning trend which has been on hold since the last two Games. One main reason for optimism is that the shooters have undergone extensive training and participated in many competitions, winning medals and setting records. According to Suma Shirur, head coach of the rifle team, the shooters have also worked on the mental aspect of the game through simulation and mental warm-up.

India have earned a record 21 quota places for the quadrennial showpiece event. Manu Bhaker will be the only shooter to participate in more than one individual event -- the women's 10m air pistol and the women’s 25m pistol. It will be her second Olympics after making her debut in the Games in Tokyo.

Along with eight individual rifle and pistol events offering a possible 16 medal opportunities, India will have a record six starts in the four individual shotgun events. Five mixed teams, two each for rifle and pistol and one for shotgun, will also be competed in by India.

Apart from Manu, India's Olympic shooting team for Paris 2024 includes returning rifle shooters Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anjum Moudgil, and Elavenil Valarivan, alongside 11 debutants.

Sift Kaur Samra, the 50m rifle 3 positions gold medalist at the recent Asian Games, and 19-year-old Esha Singh, who won four medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games, joined the team. The pistol team features Manu, Esha Singh, and Rhythm Sangwan.

Notable omissions include Rudrankksh Patil, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Ashi Chouksey. The 10m air pistol team includes Asian Games champions Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Singh Cheema.

The shotgun squad, announced after the ISSF World Cup in June, features Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet), Maheshwari Chauhan and Raiza Dhillon (women’s skeet), Prithviraj Tondaiman (men’s trap), Rajeshwari Kumari and Shreyashi Singh (women’s trap). Shreyasi Singh joined after a quota swap approved by the ISSF, replacing two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Bhowneesh Mendiratta, who earned India’s first Paris 2024 quota.

The squad boasts a great mix of experience and young talents vying for the coveted podium finish in the French capital.

India have so far won four medals in shooting in the Olympics -- one gold, two silver and one bronze. It is to be seen whether they will add any more to this.

India shooting team for Paris Olympics:

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