Shotgun World Cup: Indian trap shooters narrowly miss qualification mark

The hopes of three Indian trap shooters for a top-six finals berth were dashed by a single point during the ongoing International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Shotgun in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday.

Bhowneesh Mendiratta and Zoravar Sandhu secured scores of 118, finishing 16th and 19th respectively in the Men’s Trap qualifiers. However, the shoot-off mark for the sixth and final spot stood at 119.

In the Women’s Trap event, Rajeshwari Kumari achieved a score of 113, securing the eighth position, whereas the sixth qualifying spot was attained at 114.

Regrettably, all six Indian participants were eliminated from medal contention in both events. Bhavya Tripathi finished 17th with a score of 109, while Manish Keer secured the 22nd position with 106 points. Prhtiviraj Tondaiman, the third Indian contender in the Men’s Trap, trailed further behind in 57th place, managing a score of 114.

India has won a total of 19 quotas in Shooting for the 2024 Paris Olympics surpassing 15 quotas won for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Bhowneesh Mendiratta has won one quota in men's trap while Rajeshwari Kumari has won one quota in women's trap.

India can win a total of five more quotas with one each in men's and women's trap.

National Rifle Association of India will select the shooters going to the 2024 Paris Olympics after the quotas are done through a rigorous selection trial.