India has achieved a record-breaking 20 shooting quotas for the upcoming Paris Olympics, following a brilliant showing by Palak Guliya at the ISSF World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Rio de Janeiro. The Asian Games winner earned a bronze medal, marking the second qualification for India in the women's 10m air pistol event. With Guliya's success capping off this milestone, we take a look at the full list of Indian competitors who have already qualified for the Games.
Bhowneesh Mendiratta became the first Indian athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics after a strong performance in the trap event at the ISSF World Championships. Hailing from Faridabad, the 23-year-old has quickly made a name for himself; after winning silver at the junior Asian Championships, he transitioned to senior competition and immediately impressed by taking silver at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea, earlier this year.
During the 2023 National Open Race-Walking Championships in Morabadi, Jharkhand, Akshdeep Singh and Priyanka Goswami both earned their spots for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Singh delivered a powerhouse performance in the men's 20km race walk, clocking in at 1 hour 19 minutes and 55 seconds to set a new national record, surpassing Sandeep Kumar's old mark of 1 hour 20 minutes and 16 seconds. Priyanka Goswami, a veteran of the Tokyo Olympics and a Commonwealth Games silver medalist, also qualified with a time of 1 hour 28 minutes and 50 seconds, missing her own national record by a mere five seconds.
Javelin star Neeraj Chopra has officially qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics following a dominant performance where he threw 88.77 meters. By securing his place in the finals, Neeraj continues to prove his world-class status, marking this as one of his strongest outings of the current season and the fourth best throw of his entire professional career.
Mehuli Ghosh ensured India's presence in the women's 10m air rifle at the Paris 2024 Olympics after taking third place at the 2023 ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan. Ghosh secured the bronze with a score of 229.8, finishing just behind China's Jiayu Han and Zhilin Hang. Another strong showing came from Tilottama Sen, who narrowly missed the podium in fourth place with a score of 208.4. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Rudrankksh Patil made waves at the 2022 ISSF Rifle/Pistol World Championship in Cairo, Egypt, where he won gold in the solo men's 10m air rifle, simultaneously clinching a quota spot for India.