Top Indian Contenders For Shooting Games In The 2024 Summer Olympics

Indian shooters have secured 21 out of 24 available quota places for the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics. Following the qualification process, the NRAI conducted trials and selected the top-performing shooters to represent the nation at the Olympics. Former Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympics, and Universiade champion Manu Bhaker emerged as the most successful shooting athlete of the first-ever Olympic Selection Trials (OST) Rifle/Pistol. She won the women's 10M Air Pistol OST T4 match on the final day of the trials at the M.P. State Shooting Academy (MPSSA) ranges. Manu won her fourth overall trial in two events, including the women's 25M Pistol. She scored 240.8 in the OST T4 air pistol final on Sunday, leaving reigning Asian Games champion Palak 4.4 points behind in second place. Rhythm Sangwan took the third spot. In this blog, we take a look at the top Indian contenders for Shooting games in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Top Indian contenders for shooting games in the 2024 Summer Olympics

India's shooting team for the Paris Olympics 2024 might be announced in two separate batches by the National Rifle Association of India. Additionally, the Federation may decide to go with a third reserve shooter in each category to handle any loss of form. As per the latest Olympics news, a series of four selection trials in pistol and rifle events concluded on May 19. The squad for Paris is to be announced shortly, but the source said that the 21-member team could be announced in two batches. India has secured a total of 21 quotas for the Paris Olympics, second only to China, which has 22. Nine quota winners could not secure a spot on the final team, pending approval from the selection committee. Those who have made the selection had to dig deep to overcome the nervous moments. The paths to qualification for Ramita, Elavenil, and Babuta all required them to surpass the existing world record marks at crucial points during the trials. Here are the top Indian contenders for Shooting games in the 2024 Summer Olympics.

1. Manu Bhaker and Elavenil Valarivan lead the Shooting charts in the 2024 Summer Olympics selection trials

Former Commonwealth Games, Youth Olympics and Universiade champion Manu Bhaker emerged as the most successful shooting athlete of the first-ever Olympic Selection Trials (OST) Rifle/Pistol. She won the women's 10M Air Pistol OST T4 match on the concluding day of the trials at the M.P. State Shooting Academy (MPSSA) ranges. This marked her fourth win in the Paris Olympics 2024 trials, spanning two events, including the women's 25M Pistol. Manu scored 240.8 in the OST T4 air pistol final on Sunday, leaving the reigning Asian Games champion Palak 4.4 points behind in second place. Rhythm Sangwan took third place. Manu Bhaker's fellow Tokyo Olympics teammate, Elavenil Valarivan, performed exceptionally well at the MPSSA ranges earlier in the day. She won the women's 10M Air Rifle OST T4 with a score of 254.3, surpassing the current world record of 254.0 set by China's Han Jiayu in Baku earlier this month by 0.3 points. Ramita scored 253.3 and secured second place, while Mehuli Ghosh scored 230.3 and finished third.

2. Rudrankksh Patil and Sandeep Singh put NRAI in a spot before the 2024 Summer Olympic Games

The National Rifle Association of India faces a dilemma as it prepares to announce the Indian Shooting squad for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. It is the men's 10m air rifle event that has the National Federation searching for a solution. Arjun Babuta and Rudrankksh Patil secured the Olympic quota spots in the event. However, based on the recent Olympic Selection Trials, Sandeep Singh, a relatively unknown name, has emerged as the top candidate to represent India in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite having very little international experience, Indian Armyman Sandeep Singh displayed exceptional performance in the 2024 Olympics trials. He achieved a personal best score of 634.4, followed by 632.6 and 631.6 in the first three trials. It was 628.3 on the fourth attempt, but his three highest scores secured him the top position among the five shooters.

In the race for the two spots in the men's 10m air rifle event, Arjun and Rudrankksh started the trials with another point for winning the quota places. According to the final average scores, Rudrankksh finished third, 0.3 points behind Arjun and 1.4 points behind Sandeep. The NRAI selection policy states that the top two finishers in the trials will be chosen for Paris, even if neither shooter has secured a quota place for the country. The debate between current form and past performance is at the centre of the decision between Sandeep and Rudrankksh. According to the NRAI rulebook, Sandeep will represent India at the Paris Olympics instead of Rudrankksh. However, it's been reported that Rudrankksh has written to the Federation requesting to be considered ahead of Sandeep, putting the NRAI in a spot of bother.

3. Athletes competing in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games

India also has a good chance of winning Olympic medals in mixed pistol and rifle events. A mind-boggling total of 10,500 athletes from 206 NOCs and a Refugee Olympic Team will compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. With 65 days left before the start of the much-awaited 2024 Paris Olympics, there couldn't be a better day to look at the Indian contingent. Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra will be one of the Olympic torch bearers of the Paris Olympics 2024. Indian Javelin throw superstar Neeraj Chopra will be defending his title at the Paris Olympics and will be entering the global competition as one of the greatest olympic gold medalist in India, which is a huge stature at this moment. The closing ceremony is scheduled to take place on Sunday, August 11 at the Stade de France, which is the national stadium of the country. The ceremony will feature stunning performances by celebrities from the host country. However, the details of the performances will not be disclosed until the days leading up to the event.