Palak Guliya’s remarkable performance at the ISSF World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro earned India its record 20th shooting quota for the forthcoming Paris Olympics. Guliya, an Asian Games winner, won a bronze medal in the Olympic qualification, giving India its 20th shooting quota and second in the women’s 10m air pistol event. With Palak winning India’s 20th quota berth for the Paris Olympics in shooting, let us look at the Indian athletes who have qualified and will compete in Paris this year.
Bhowneesh Mendiratta, a trap shooter, won India’s initial quota spot at the ISSF World Championships, becoming the first Indian athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics. Mendiratta, 23, is a Faridabad native who won silver at the junior Asian Championships. Despite his recent transition to the senior circuit, he showed exceptional talent by winning a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea, earlier this year.
At the National Open Race-Walking Championships 2023 in Morabadi, Jharkhand, India’s Akshdeep Singh, and Priyanka Goswami qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the World Athletics Championships 2023. Akshdeep Singh set a new national record in the men’s 20km race walk, finishing in 1 hour 19 minutes and 55 seconds, beating Sandeep Kumar’s previous time of 1 hour 20 minutes and 16 seconds. Meanwhile, Priyanka Goswami, a Tokyo Olympian and Commonwealth Games silver medalist, completed the women’s 20km race walk in 1 hour, 28 minutes, and 50 seconds, falling only five seconds short of her national record.
Olympic gold medalist Neeraj Chopra demonstrated his prowess in the men’s Javelin Throw event, throwing 88.77 meters. Neeraj Chopra has qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 after his outstanding performance earned him a spot in the finals. This is one of his top performances of the season and the fourth of his career.
Mehuli Ghosh clinched India’s quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics after finishing third in the women’s 10m air rifle event at the ISSF World Championship 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ghosh won the bronze medal in the final with a score of 229.8, trailing only Jiayu Han and Zhilin Hang of China. Additionally, India’s Tilottama Sen performed admirably, finishing fourth with a score of 208.4. Rudrankksh Patil, an Indian shooter, won gold in the solo men’s 10m air rifle event at the ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship 2022 in Cairo, Egypt. The 18-year-old Patil, not only won first place but also earned a quota seat for India at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
