Raiza Dhillon, Anantjeet Singh secure Paris 2024 Olympic quotas in shooting

Indian skeet shooters rose to the challenge as Anant Jeet Singh Naruka and Raiza Dhillon bagged the men’s and women’s Olympic quota with silver medals in the Asian shotgun championship in Kuwait on Saturday.

The Indian team took its tally to 19 Olympic quota places, as against a maximum possible 24. India is missing only one quota each in trap and skeet for men and women, apart from one in women’s air pistol. There is still scope to win them in the competition ahead, apart from the pathway of world rank.

If it was a classy performance by the Asian Games silver medallist Anant Jeet to win the silver, one point behind Meng Yuan Lee of Chinese Taipei, who had already won the Olympic quota, the Indian women breathed fire as all three of them Raiza, Maheshwari Chauhan and Ganemat Sekhon made the final, eventually placing 2 to 4 in that order.

Raiza had trailed overnight with 67, but jumped right into the reckoning with the last two rounds of 24 each.

Gao Jinmei of China won the gold, beating Raiza 56-52, and bagged the Olympic quota.

Anant Jeet had qualified in the second place with 121, one point behind Ma Chenglong of China, who eventually finished fourth and missed the Olympic quota.

Mohammad Aldaihani of Kuwait took the second Olympic quota with the bronze medal. He was tied with Anant Jeet but the latter progressed based on his better fare in qualification.