The National Rifle Association: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body for the Olympic sport of Shooting in the country, on Tuesday announced the Indian Shotgun squads for the various important international competitions leading right up to the marquee event of the year, the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games, scheduled in July end.
The squad’s first assignment will be the final Paris qualifying competition in Doha, Qatar, scheduled between April 19-29, 2024, for which a 12-member team has been announced. With four quotas, one each in men’s and women’s trap and skeet, still up for grabs, the existing quota holders have been naturally kept out.
Prithviraj Tondaiman and Vivaan Kapoor in men’s trap, Shreyasi Singh and Manisha Keer in women’s trap, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Sheeraz Sheikh in men’s skeet and finally Ganemat Sekhon and Maheshwari Chauhan in women’s skeet are the common shooters in each of the three squads announced.
While Zoravar Sandhu gets a crack at men’s trap in Doha, Neeru in women’s trap, Olympian Angad Bajwa in men’s skeet, and Areeba Khan in women’s skeet, also gets a shot at achieving a Paris quota, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Then for the final three events leading up to Paris, namely the Green Cup Shotgun in Umbria, Italy, the International Shooting Sports Federation (ISSF) combined World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan (both in May), and the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy (June), quota holders Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men’s trap), Rajeshwari Kumari (women’s trap), Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet) and Raiza Dhillon (women’s skeet) make a comeback along with the top rankers.
The Olympic Shotgun probables are already currently undergoing a technical training camp in New Delhi which will be followed by focussed preparatory camps for both the Trap and Skeet teams before their respective departures for Doha.
The Shotgun squad has so far won the highest number (4) of Olympic quotas ever, in their long association with the Games.