Doha [Qatar], November 2 (ANI): India’s shooters have opened their road to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics at the ISSF World Championship Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun, which began at the Lusail Shooting Complex on November 1. Medal events are set to run from November 3 to 13.
Doha is the first qualification event for LA 2028 and the biggest of the cycle, with 36 Olympic quota places on offer, three in each of the 12 individual Olympic events. Shooting offered no quota places at the recent Asian Games, so this is India’s first chance to secure spots for Los Angeles. Each nation can win one quota per event here, putting up to 12 within India’s reach, according to a press release from NRAI.
India arrived in form after winning 15 shooting medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, six of them in shotgun. Neeru Dhanda led the way with India’s first women’s trap individual gold, adding mixed team gold and team silver, while the skeet squads came home with three bronze medals.
Neeru heads a shotgun group that includes 2025 World Championship bronze medallist Zoravar Singh Sandhu in trap, and Asian Games medallists Anantjeet Singh Naruka, Bhavtegh Singh Gill, Mairaj Ahmad Khan, Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal in skeet.
Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker leads a pistol squad that also features Asian Games air pistol mixed team champions Suruchi and Kamaljeet, while Elavenil Valarivan and Himanshu Dhillon, both individual silver medallists in Aichi-Nagoya, spearhead the rifle squad. India have entered three shooters in every individual Olympic event and two pairs in each of the four mixed team events.
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), said, “Our preparation this season has been built around this moment. The team carried its Asian Games momentum straight into a focused national camp, and our shooters arrive in Doha sharp and ready. Quota places won here give India the longest possible runway to plan for Los Angeles, and I am confident this team will make the most of that opportunity.”
NRAI Secretary General Pawankumar Singh said, “Every athlete in this squad has trained to a clear performance benchmark. Our camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range was run in phases by discipline, so rifle, pistol and shotgun shooters each had dedicated time with their coaches, with performance data guiding the work. We have prepared to be in contention in all 16 of our events and to start the LA 2028 campaign on the front foot.” (ANI)
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