Indian shooter Maheshwari Chauhan has clinched the 21st shooting quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics for India, marking a significant achievement in the women's skeet event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) Olympic Shotgun Qualification Championship in Doha, Qatar.
The Doha event served as the final qualifying opportunity for Paris 2024 in the shotgun category. The top two shooters from each event, limited to one per country, earned quotas at the meet, as per Olympics.com.
Maheshwari secured the second-place finish in the women's skeet event, closely behind Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid. Both shooters scored 54 points each, leading to a shoot-off where Chadid prevailed by 4-3.
Expressing her excitement, Maheshwari stated, "I am thrilled. There has been a lot of hard work over the years to get here. I am a bit bummed about the shoot-off, but overall, it has been very satisfying," as quoted by Olympics.com.
India now boasts five shotgun shooters with Olympic quotas: Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men's trap), Rajeshwari Kumari (women's trap), Raiza Dhillon (women's skeet), and Anantjeet Singh Naruka (men's skeet), in addition to Maheshwari Chauhan.
Maheshwari's achievement also opens the possibility for India to field two shooters in the women's skeet event at Paris 2024. However, the final decision on representation rests with the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), and having a quota does not guarantee participation in the Olympics.
During the qualifiers, Maheshwari set a national record with 121 points, securing her spot in the six-person final. Unfortunately, Ganemat Sekhon and Areeba Khan did not qualify for the final round in the women's skeet event.
In the men's skeet event, Indian shooters Mairaj Ahmed, Angadvir Singh Bajwa, and Sheeraj Sheikh did not progress beyond the qualifiers. The Indian trap shooters also fell short in adding to India's quotas during the Doha championship.
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