Paris Olympics 2024: Indian shooters out to avenge Tokyo humiliation

India earned a record 21 quotas in shooting this Olympic cycle, sending the most athletes to France, tying with China among the 81 countries that qualified.

Tough ask: World record holder Sift Kaur Samra will face her biggest challenge from reigning world champion Zhang Qiongyue in the women’s 50m 3P event. | Photo Credit: A. M. FARUQUI

Lock ‘n load! It’s almost time to climb aboard the hype train to Châteauroux, where 21 Indian shooters will take on the mission of going up against 321 of the world’s best to claim the ultimate prize — an Olympic medal.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announcing the squad way ahead of July 8 — the Paris 2024 entry deadline — felt like the calm before the storm. The shooters have had an acclimatisation and a hard-training camp at Volmerange-Les-Mines, followed by a two-week break while waiting for Judgement Day.

India has never had more shooters representing the country at the Olympics. Tokyo 2020 saw a previous best of 15. This time, among the 81 participating nations and the IOC (International Olympic Committee) Refugee Team, India will send the most shooters to France, tying with China, followed by the Republic of Korea, which has 16.

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It is mostly a new-look squad except for familiar faces in pistol star Manu Bhaker and rifle wielders Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anjum Moudgil and Elavenil Valarivan. Having waded through the choppy waters of Tokyo, they will be up and running soon for a second shot at glory.

While those who have already performed on the biggest stage would believe that past experience will help them fare better this time, the debutants may be thankful for not having to carry any baggage from previous editions.

Let’s do a quick recap. After returning empty-handed from Tokyo, Indian shooters experienced a curious mix of highs and lows in the subsequent years. Amid developments like numerous rule changes and overhauls in the coaching set-up, several prominent names such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Abhishek Verma, Apurvi Chandela, and Rahi Sarnobat faded from scorecards for different reasons. A change of guard brought newcomers like Sift Kaur Samra and Sarabjot Singh to the forefront. Others, like Bhaker, entered recovery mode, deeply affected by the media scrutiny. However, she appears to have bounced back just in time.

One of the many factors that will work in favour of the Indians this time is the absence of Russia from the roster owing to the strict qualification restrictions in place after the latter invaded Ukraine.

Although the IOC stated that, as of July 13, 15 AINs (Athlètes Individuels Neutres/Individual Neutral Athletes) with Russian passports had qualified for the Summer Games in Paris (with a maximum of 55 eligible to make it), none of them happens to be shooters.

Primed for Paris: After a disappointing campaign at Tokyo 2021 and the subsequent media scrutiny, Manu Bhaker is now prepared for the challenges ahead. | Photo Credit: RITU RAJ KONWAR

At the 2021 Olympics, out of the 19 countries that managed to bag at least a medal, Russia finished third (2 gold, 4 silver, 2 bronze), behind China (4 gold, 1 silver, 6 bronze), and the United States (3 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze).

Additionally, the current format of the Olympic Selection Trials, devised by the selection committee at the NRAI, will be put to the test. While USA’s Rio 2016 gold medallist in women’s 10m air rifle, Ginny Thrasher, confirmed to former India international Shimon Sharif that the US Olympic trials were open to all athletes who wanted to sign up, India selected its five best shooters to fight for the Paris ticket among themselves. The move saw nine quota winners fail to make the final squad.

The biggest surprise from this may have come in the men’s 10m air rifle discipline, which saw former World Championship gold medallist Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil — only the second-ever Indian to win the title after Abhinav Bindra — miss out on a spot. An unexpected contender, Sandeep Singh, topped the trials in the same event. Previously caught in a doping scandal, Sandeep had competed in three ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) World Cups and an Asian Championship but never reached the finals. An Army man, he was part of the Tokyo reserves but didn’t make the final team. His selection surprised many, with a former India coach admitting he hadn’t heard much about Sandeep before the trials. Rudrankksh didn’t take the matter lightly either, urging the selectors to look at ‘overall performances’ in a letter addressed to the NRAI. However, his appeal fell on deaf ears.

Paris Olympics 2024 schedule: Full list of shooting events with date, IST timings and venues

In the shotgun squad, announced after the conclusion of the Lonato World Cup on June 18, Bhowneesh Mendiratta, India’s first quota winner during the 2024 Olympic cycle, and two-time Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan are the notable misses. Shreyasi Singh, a shooter and member of the Bihar Legislative Assembly, was later included, after the ISSF approved the swap of one of the women’s pistol Olympic quota places for a berth in women’s trap.

India’s biggest challenge will come from the Chinese contingent, which features multiple Olympic and world champions. Sheng Lihao, who won a silver medal in 10m air rifle on his debut at Tokyo 2020, will return without teammate Yang Haoran. The 28-year-old will be replaced by the sensational Du Linshu, 21, who won five gold medals at the Junior World Championship in Cairo in 2022. Du will also feature in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions. In the 10m air pistol, world champions Zhang Bowen and Jiang Ranxin will give the Indians a tough run. Reigning world champion Zhang Qiongyue will be the biggest obstacle for world record holder Sift in the women’s 50m 3P event.

India’s shooting squad looks formidable on paper, but they face a significant challenge: overcoming a persistent mental barrier that has often plagued their performances. Dr. Pierre Beauchamp, appointed by former NRAI president Raninder Singh after the disappointing results in Tokyo, aims to bolster their mental resilience.

His role is crucial in shielding them from pressure and external distractions, ensuring they perform their best.

The shooting events will be held at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre between July 27 and August 5.

The Indian Rifle and Pistol Team for Paris Olympics 2024:

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