New Delhi, May 10 (Representative) With their arms in hand the 37 selected Rifle and Pistol shooters are gearing up to resume their quest for a spot in the Indian Shooting squad for the upcoming Paris Olympics. They will be taking aim in the Olympic Selection Trials (OST) 3&4 Rifle/Pistol at the MP State Shooting Academy range in Bhopal from May 11-19. Shooters have secured India’s highest number of Paris Games quotas compared to other sporting disciplines. Now, it’s their turn to convert these quotas to tickets as the country looks to create a new Games record at the Paris Olympics 2024.The OST competitions begin on Saturday, May 11, 2024, with the men’s 25m rapid-fire pistol (RFP) and women’s 25m pistol T3 qualification rounds.
The finals of both categories are slotted for Sunday, following the Paris Olympic schedule regulation of having the finals a day after the qualifications.These trials will decide who represents India in the Paris Games’ rifle and pistol individual events. The nine-day OST will conclude with the men’s and women’s 10m air rifle T4 finals on Sunday, May 19, 2024. The OST 1&2 were conducted last month at Delhi’s Dr. Karni Singh Shooting range. The top two shooters in each event, determined by the average of their best three out of four trial scores, are in prime position to earn their tickets to Paris come July.
As of now, none of the shooters have secured their positions among the five selected in each event. All 37 shooters will need to deliver their best performances to ensure their spots for Paris.Only three shooters, Olympian Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan are in contention in multiple events, namely the women’s sport pistol and the women’s 10m air pistol. In total, India has secured 21 quotas, with 16 in rifle and pistol events and five in shotgun events. While the shooters who won the quotas did a remarkable job, it’s important to note that securing a quota does not guarantee a spot for the player. The quota is for the country and not the individual player.