Who is Anjum Moudgil? All you need to know about the Indian shooter competing at Paris Olympics 2024
With the Paris 2024 Olympics starting on Friday, ace rifle shooter Anjum Moudgil is one of the star names on India’s shooting contingent for this year’s Summer Olympics. The 30-year-old will represent her nation at the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event.
Former World No. 1 Anjum Moudgil had been India’s shooting ace for several years, but a combination of poor form and the rise of other shooters like Sift Kaur Samra led to a career setback.
However, the Arjuna Awardee has shown her class and fighting spirit by getting selected as part of India’s 21-member shooting contingent – the nation’s highest ever in any Olympic Games.
Moudgil, along with her younger 50m 3p colleague Sift Kaur Samra, will look to end India’s 12-year medal drought in shooting.
Anjum Moudgil’s career in brief
Anjum, who was born in Chandigarh, was introduced to shooting by her mother Shubh Moudgil. During the early phases of her career, Moudgil joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and participated in state and national-level tournaments. In 2010, she was selected as a part of India’s junior shooting team.
She found a mentor in Deepali Deshpande, who joined as the junior national team coach in 2014.
In the same year, Anjum got her big break as she took part in the ISSF World Championship in Changwon, where she won a silver medal in the women’s 10m rifle event. She then competed at the same event in the 2016 Shooting World Cup but ranked ninth.
Anjum came under the spotlight after winning two medals at the 2017 Brisbane Commonwealth Shooting Championships. She won a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle event, and a bronze medal in the women’s 50m rifle prone event.
She continued to solidify her position as one of the country’s brightest shooting talents by winning a silver medal in the only event she participated in at the 2018 Commonwealth Games (women’s 50m rifle 3p). She also won two silver medals at the 2018 Changwon World Championships in the 10m air rifle and 10m team air rifle events.
Anjum Moudgil’s exploits secured her a world ranking of No. 2 in 2019, and she was selected for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. However, her experience in Tokyo was disappointing, as she finished a lowly 15th place in the 50m 3p event, and 18th in the 10m air rifle event.
Moudgil fought back from the disappointment, and she won a silver medal at the 2022 ISSF World Cup in Baku, as well as a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup Changwon 2022. With the victories, she claimed the World No. 1 rank in 2022.
However, Anjum Moudgil suffered a consistent patch of poor form soon after and failed to qualify directly for the Paris 2024 Olympics after not being able to secure a quota by one point. After focusing inward, she was able to get back at her best, and will now surely look to make her country proud at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The shooting events of Paris 2024 started on July 26 and will end on August 11.