Anjum Moudgil wins silver in Shooting Worlds, India grabs two Olympic quotas

Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela assured two Olympic quota spots for the 2020 Tokyo Games after finishing at the second and fourth position respectively in the Shooting World Championships. Apurvi Chandela recently won a Silver medal in the mixed team event along with Ravi Kumar at the 2018 Asian Games. A total of five spots were up for grabs in the women’s 10m air rifle event for the Tokyo event. The two Indians made it by finishing in the top five, ensuring a ticket to Tokyo two years before the spectacle. Both of the shooters participated at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where the Indian contingent enjoyed its best ever performance. After a disappointing fifth-place finish in 10m Air Rifle event at the recently concluded Asian Games, Apurvi Chandela made a fresh start in the build-up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Already qualified for the perennial event, she will get ample time to make proper preparations for the meet. On the other hand, Anjum Moudgil failed to qualify for the final rounds of the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 positions in Jakarta. An early exit from the continental meet compelled her to come back strong, which helped her earn an Olympic berth. The Indian contingent performed exceptionally well at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games as well as the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, the onus will be on the athletes to keep up the momentum in the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics. India has always underperformed in the Olympiad, hopefully, the tables will turn in Tokyo!