Three Indian shooters in contention for only Olympic quota place in pistol event
India is all set to obtain their last remaining quota in the pistol discipline, as three Indian shooters will be participating in the upcoming ISSF’s final Olympic qualification tournament.
The much-anticipated tournament is all set to begin on Friday in Rio de Janeiro. For India, three shooters, namely Palak, Sainyam, and Surbhi Rao will be participating in the women’s 10m air pistol and look to secure the lone remaining quota.
It is worth mentioning that Palak is the reigning Asian Games champion in the women’s 10m air pistol, while Surbhi clinched the silver medal at the Asian Championships last year in the 10m air pistol mixed team event.
Sainyam, on the other hand, is a 10m pistol gold medal winner at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Germany.
It is worth mentioning that India have secured the most number of quota places in shooting at the upcoming Paris Olympics 2024. As of now, they have obtained 19 quotas, which include eight in rifle, seven in pistol, and four in shotgun.
In the women’s scheme of things, Esha Singh had earlier become the first women’s air pistol shooter to obtain a quota, having won the gold medal at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers in Jakarta.
The qualification round of the final Olympic qualification tournament starts on Saturday. The top eight qualifiers will be advancing into the final, slated to take place on Sunday. The three Indian shooters will have the support of two coaches and a physio.
A total of 466 athletes including three Indian shooters to participate in ISSF World Cup
As many as 466 athletes from 76 nations will be taking part in the upcoming ISSF’s final Olympic qualification tournament. The 10m air pistol mixed team is the first final scheduled on Friday.
While India have managed to obtain 19 out of the total 24 quotas in shooting, they can still claim the remaining five quotas on offer. The aforementioned three Indian shooters would be eyeing the one remaining quota in the pistol discipline.
The 10m air pistol mixed team is the first final scheduled on the opening day of competitions on Friday.