Raiza Dhillon, Ananjeet Singh Naruka clinch Paris Olympics quota in skeet events at Asian Olympic qualifiers 2024

Published at :January 20, 2024 at 7:47 PM

Modified at :January 20, 2024 at 8:31 PM

(Courtesy : NRAI/PTI)

India now has secured 19 quota places in shooting.

India’s Raiza Dhillon and Anantjeet Singh Naruka have clinched the country’s 18th and 19th quota places for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in shooting after they won silver medals in the women’s and men’s skeet events respectively at the Shotgun Asian Olympic qualifiers 2024 in Kuwait City on Saturday (January 20).

The two shooters, who are both young and talented, dominated their respective categories and finished second.

Dhillon, who is only 19 years old, showed great skill and confidence as she shot 52/60 to finish second behind China’s Jinmei Gao, who scored 56/60.

India’s Maheshwari Chauhan scored 43/50 to secure the bronze medal in the women’s skeet event, while Ganemat Sekhon, who was the third Indian shooter in the six-woman final, finished fourth with 30/40.

India's 19 y/o Raiza Dhillon clinches SILVER Medal 🥈 in Women's Skeet Final and also secures a Paris Olympic quota at the #shotgun Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kuwait!! 🤩👏18th Paris Olympics quota for India in #shooting! 🔫#Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/5uSHTAY6e1
— Khel Now (@KhelNow) January 20, 2024

Ganemat Sekhon achieved a score of 117 in the qualification round, ranking second among all shooters. Maheshwari Chauhan scored 115 for third place, while Raiza Dhillon scored 115 but was sixth after a shoot-off.

Their combined score of 347 in the women’s skeet qualifying round from the three Indian shooters helped India win the gold medal in the women’s skeet team event. China (342) won the silver medal while Kazakhstan (333) claimed the bronze.

Anantjeet Singh Naruka clinches Silver Medal 🥈 and a Paris Olympics quota for India in men's skeet at the Shotgun Asian Olympic qualifiers!! 🔫🤩📸 @OfficialNRAI #Paris2024 #Shooting pic.twitter.com/hw93IhBKPh
— Khel Now (@KhelNow) January 20, 2024

Naruka, 25, was equally impressive as he shot 56/60 to finish second behind Chinese Tapei’s Lee Meng Yuan, who scored 57/60 in the men’s skeet individual final. With a score of 121, Anantjeet Singh Naruka qualified for the men’s skeet final in second place. Munek Battula and Gurjoat Khangura, who scored 113 each, ended up in 18th and 21st positions.

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The Asian Shotgun Championships are considered one of the most important qualifying events for the Olympics as they determine which countries can send their best shooters to compete for medals at Paris 2024. The top two eligible shooters (maximum one per country) in individual Olympic shooting events secure Paris 2024 quotas for their respective national teams.

India had already secured a record haul of 17 quotas in shooting for Paris 2024, the two more Olympics quota makes it to 19, four more than the Tokyo Olympics.

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