Manu Bhaker to feature in two individual events in NRAI's 15-member Rifle and Pistol team for 2024 Paris Olympics
Pistol ace Manu Bhaker will be the only athlete featuring in more than one event at the Paris Olympics. The National Rifle Association of India announced a 15-member team for Rifle and Pistol events on Tuesday, June 11, that will represent India at the Olympic Games in the French capital.
Eight shooters in the rifle discipline and seven in the pistol event have been picked by the NRAI following a meeting of the senior selection committee.
Manu Bhaker will be taking part in the Olympic events for a second successive time after having made it to the Tokyo Olympics 2020 (held in 2021). At the Paris Olympics, she will feature in the women's 10m air pistol and women's 25m pistol events.
The Indians have earned a total of 21 quotas in shooting for the 2024 Paris Olympics. According to NRAI, India will have a record five starts across the four individual shotgun events. India will also field five mixed teams, two each in rifle and pistol and one in shotgun.
Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta have been picked for the 10m air rifle event in the men's section while Elavenil Valarivan and Ramita have qualified for the same event in the women's section.
Aishwary Tomar and Swapnil Kusale have found a place in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event. Sift Kaur Samra who recently won a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup in Munich has been selected for the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event alongside Anjum Moudgil.
Sarabjot Singh and Arjun Cheema have made the cut in the men's 10m air pistol event while Manu Bhaker and Rhythm Sangwan will feature in the women's section at the 10m air pistol.
Anish Bhanwala and Vijayveer Sidhu have qualified for the men's 25m rapid-fire pistol event while Bhaker and teenage prodigy Esha Singh have found a place in the women's 25m pistol event for the Paris Olympics.
"We have selected the best team on current form" - NRAI senior vice president after announcing squad for Paris Olympics
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, senior vice president of the NRAI expressed confidence that "everything had been put in place for the team to deliver" while also acknowledging that some good shooters are not part of the squad.
Adding that the ones who have not made it have a chance to make a comeback, he stressed that the current form as per merit had been considered while sticking to the policy.
"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," the NRAI senior vice president was quoted as saying.
"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," he added.
According to the NRAI, all members of the Indian shooting team along with the coaches and support staff are now in a camp in Volmerange-Les-Mines, France, "mainly aimed at acclimatization and hard training." The Paris Olympics will begin on July 26.