Indian skeet shooters, including Parinaaz Dhaliwal, Raiza Dhillon, Maheshwari Chauhan, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, faced challenging qualification rounds at the ISSF World Cup (Shotgun) in Lonato, Italy. While Dhaliwal was the best-placed Indian woman, and Khan showed promise in the men's event, most are unlikely to reach the finals.
Indian skeet shooters Bhavtegh Singh Gill and Mairaj Ahmad performed strongly on the opening day of the ISSF World Cup (Shotgun) in Lonato, Italy, finishing joint 14th. Parinaaz Dhaliwal also impressed in the women's section, placing tied-11th. The performances offer hope for India's first medal of the season and serve as crucial preparation for the upcoming Asian Games, despite other Olympians facing challenges.
Men's skeet, where competitors use shotguns to break clay targets flung into the air, has become much more competitive over the last decade, and it was "getting harder and harder to win", Hancock observed.
India's Bhavtegh Singh Gill remained in contention for a finals berth at the ISSF World Championship for Shotgun after completing the second day of men's skeet qualification with a total of 97 hits in Athens on Saturday.
She is just two points behind leader Veronika Major of Hungary, who shot an aggregate of 592 (294 and 298) which helped her equal the Olympic record.
The skeet team, comprising Angad Vir Bajwa (121), Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (120), and Gurjoat Khangura (115), finished in 14th place with an overall score of 356.
No fewer than 14 will be up for grabs as day one promises action across multiple sports: four golds in swimming, two each in cycling, fencing, and judo, and one each in diving, skateboarding, shooting, and rugby sevens.
Here are five shooters to watch when the Games formally kick off on July 23
Two-time Olympic champion Vincent Hancock of the USA won the men's skeet competition, the concluding event of the year's first International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup.
Serena Williams, Simone Biles and Ted Ligety were among the finalists for United States Olympic Committee (USOC) male and female athletes of year honours announced on Thursday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Monday
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
