India has already achieved a record total of 15 quotas in shooting for Tokyo Olympics. But there is chance for more. Let us have look at how that will unfold.
There will be a total of 15 events in shooting at Tokyo Olympics. 6 in Men, 6 in Women and 3 Mixed. Through the events qualification route, India has achieved quotas in 8 events. In the Mixed events, India will have 2 teams in both Air Pistol & Air Rifle due to quotas achieved in respective individual events. So, out of 15 events, India will have representation in 10 events.
Now coming to the important question: How can India achieve another Quota?
The answer to this question is India can get more quotas via the ranking route. After the qualification period ends and all NOCs receive the official list of Quota Places, ISSF will check each individual Olympic Event World Ranking List (dated 6 June 2021) in the order of the events. The highest ranked athlete not yet qualified in any event and provided that the athlete’s NOC does not have a quota place in that specific event, then the athlete will obtain one (1) quota place.
The allocation of the 12 Quota Places (one in each individual event) according to the World Ranking will be done based on the World Ranking list of March 31, 2020 and points earned at one ISSF World Cup in Rifle/Pistol and one ISSF World Cup in Shotgun to be held in March-April of 2021.
So, which Indians are in contention for Quota places? We have to look at 4 individual events in which India has got no quota – 25 Rapid Fire Pistol Men, Trap Men, Trap Women, Skeet Women.
25 Rapid Fire Pistol Men – Anish Bhanwala, Adarsh Singh
Trap Men: Prithviraj Tondaiman, Kynan Chenai
Trap Women: Manisha Keer, Shagun Chowdhary, Seema Tomar, Rajeshwari Kumari
Skeet Women: Ariba Khan, Saniya SheikhSekhon Ganemat, Kartikki, Rashmi, Maheshwari Chauhan
A podium performance by any of the above mentioned shooters at upcoming New Delhi World Cup can catapult them into a Olympic quota. All of these shooters are in the top 100 rankings currently. Anish is best placed with an Olympic ranking of 12. Here’s hoping for a 16th Olympic quota for India in shooting. 🤞
