Indian shotgun squad announced for final 2024 Olympics qualifiers

Commonwealth Games gold medalist Shreyasi Singh and seasoned shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan will lead the Indian shotgun squad in various international competitions in the lead-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics scheduled at the end of July.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Tuesday announced the 12-member Indian Shotgun squads.

Prithviraj Tondaiman and Vivaan Kapoor in men’s trap, Shreyasi Singh and Manisha Keer in women’s trap, Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Sheeraz Sheikh in men’s skeet and finally Ganemat Sekhon and Maheshwari Chauhan in women’s skeet are the common shooters in each of the three squads announced.

While Zoravar Sandhu gets a crack in men’s trap in Doha, Neeru in women’s trap, Olympian Angad Bajwa in men’s skeet, and Areeba Khan in women’s skeet, also gets a shot at a Paris quota.

Then for the final three events leading up to Paris, namely the Green Cup Shotgun in Umbria, Italy, the ISSF combined World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan (both in May) and the Shotgun World Cup in Lonato, Italy (June), quota holders Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men’s trap), Rajeshwari Kumari (women’s trap), Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (men’s skeet) and Raiza Dhillon (women’s skeet) make a comeback along with the top rankers.

The Olympic Shotgun probables are already currently undergoing a technical training camp in New Delhi which will be followed by focussed preparatory camps for both the Trap and Skeet teams before their respective departures for Doha.

India has so far won 19 quotas for the Paris Games. The shotgun squad has so far won the highest number (4) of Olympic quotas ever.