Rhythm Sangwan bags India’s 16th quota place in shooting for Paris 2024 Olympics

Rhythm Sangwan won the Olympic quota with a bronze medal in women’s 25-metre sports pistol in the Asian shooting championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Thursday.

It was the 16th Olympic quota for the Paris Games for Indian shooting, already an improvement from the 15 shooters fielded for the Tokyo Olympics. A country can win a maximum of 24 Olympic quota places.

India has won all possible eight quotas in rifle and six in pistol, apart from two in shotgun. Manu Bhaker had won the first quota in sports pistol.

The 20-year-old Rhythm top scored in qualification with 588. Having missed her chance of winning the quota despite figuring in the finals of the last two World Championships in 2022 and 2023, Rhythm was determined to make this one count. Eventually, she accomplished her goal.

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Once a Filipino and two Singaporeans were eliminated in the final, the quota was confirmed for both the Taipei shooter Wu Chia Ying and Rhythm, as the three Koreans were ineligible to win any more quota in the event. Korea had won its two quota places in the World Championships.

The senior vice-president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), and the acting president, Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, was happy with the record 16th Olympic quota and expressed confidence that the team would win more.

“Indian shooting is poised to reach greater heights in the near future”, Kalikesh Deo said.

The secretary general of NRAI, Sultan Singh said, “This increases expectations of better performances by our shooters in big events like the Olympics. We are confident that we can deliver”.

India continued to stay on top of the medals table with nine gold, seven silver and seven bronze medals. China was second with five gold, four silver and four bronze.