Indian Shooter Maheshwari Chauhan bagged a silver medal in the women’s skeet event on the concluding day of the ongoing ISSF Shotgun Olympic Qualifiers in Doha, earning India its 21st quota for the Paris Olympics.
Maheshwari, playing in a final for the first time, was beaten 4-3 by Chile’s Francesco Croveto Chadid in the gold medal shoot-off. She had the chance to win the gold but failed to get it done in the shoot-off. This is India’s second Olympic quota place in women’s skeet.
After the final, Maheshwari said, ‘I am thrilled. It has taken a lot of hard work over the years to reach this point. I’m a bit disappointed with the shoot-off, but overall, it’s very satisfying.’
At the start of the day, Maheshwari was at the top of the points table. However, her 23 points in the qualifiers saw her finish fourth and qualify for the finals. Her total score in qualifying was 121 which is also a new national record. Prior to the Paris Olympics, no Indian women had qualified for skeet shooting event. However, this time the country will have two participants in the women’s skeet event.
The 21 quotas that India have secured is the best ever for the country. Their previous best was 15 at the Tokyo Olympics. India failed to win a single medal in shooting on that occasion, but will be hoping to change that in the Paris games.
