Shreyasi, Mairaj, Ganemat in 12-member shotgun squad for final Paris Olympics qualification

Commonwealth Games gold medallist Shreyasi Singh, seasoned Mairaj Ahmad Khan and World Cup winner Ganemat Sekhon on Tuesday figured in a 12-member shotgun squad picked for the final Paris Games qualifying competition, to be held in Doha from April 19-29.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) announced the squads for various important international competitions in the run-up to the Olympics, which will be held in July-August.

Four quotas, one each in men’s and women’s trap and skeet, will be up for grabs in the Doha competition. The existing quota holders have been kept out of the tournament.

Prithviraj Tondaiman and Vivaan Kapoor in men’s trap, Shreyasi and Manisha Keer in women’s trap, Mairaj and Sheeraz Sheikh in men’s skeet and Ganemat 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, Angad Bajwa in men’s skeet and Areeba Khan in women’s skeet also get a shot at a Paris quota.

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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 shogtun probables are currently undergoing a technical training camp in New Delhi which will be followed by preparatory camps for both the trap and skeet teams before they depart for Doha.

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