Paris 2024: Maheshwari Chauhan secures Olympic berth in women’s skeet shooting

Maheshwari Chauhan is unlikely to forget Doha, Qatar in a hurry. With the city playing host to the ISSF Final Olympic Shotgun Qualification Championship, the event was the shooter’s final shot at making the Paris 2024 cut.

Displaying nerves of steel, the Indian skeet shooter scored 54 to force a shoot-off with Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid for the top spot.

And despite finishing second best in the eventual shoot-off and pocketing a silver medal, the effort was good enough for Chauhan to bag the quota for Paris 2024 in Women’s Skeet Shooting.

A Fifth Indian Quota in Shotgun Events

Chauhan’s achievement marked India’s 21st quota in shooting and just the fifth one in shotgun events for the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

The other Indian shotgun shooters to make the cut are Rajeshwari Kumari (women’s trap), Raiza Dhillon (women’s skeet), Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men’s trap) and Anantjeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet).

With Chauhan’s quota, India can now field the full allocation of two shooters at Paris in the women’s skeet event.

“It was amazing”

Chauhan was understandably euphoric. That said, she did rue the fact that she squandered the chance to pocket gold.

A double miss in the shoot-out meant that she was relegated to the second spot.

“It was amazing, it was better than what I hoped for. It has taken me a long time and a lot of work to get here. I was really glad that I could get the (Olympic) quota. I’m a bit bummed about the shoot-off, but I have no regrets and am happy with how it went,” exclaimed the shooter after the event.