India is sending their largest-ever contingent of shooters this time around. There are as many as 15 members qualified for the Olympics and have left for Tokyo recently. As many as six medals are expected; two of the hottest favorites are Saurabh Chaudhary and many Bhaker.
Veteran Sanjeev Rajput is the oldest shooter India has fielded, and the hopes are high. If we go by the rankings, the Indian contingent is the best. Shooters like Rani Sarnobart, Saurabh Verma, and Manu Bhaker are in great form, and it’s because India finished at the top of the medal tally at 2021 ISSF World Cup 2021. India won 32 medals, and with 15 members, at least 6 medals in the shooting are expected this time around. To prepare for the Olympics, all the shooters were sent to Zagreb.
Not just the ISSF World Cup but many Indian shooters participated at the European Championships as well. Let’s look at all the shooter’s profiles who are due to participate at the Tokyo Olympics 2020:
- Apurvi Chandela: She will represent India at the 10m Women’s Air Rifle event.
- Anjum Moudgil: She is the top-ranked shooter and will be representing alongside Apurvi Chandel at the 10m Women’s Air Rifle event.
- Divyansh Singh Panwar: He bagged a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup and will represent India at 10m Air Rifle event.
- Deepak Kumar: He qualified for the Olympics after he bagged a bronze at the Asian shooting championships in 2019. He will represent India at 10m Air Rifle event.
- Tejaswini Sawant: She won 7 medals at the 2018 Common Wealth Games and will represent India at 50m Women’s Rifle 3 Position.
- Sanjeev Rajput: The oldest member of the shooting contingent won the Olympic berth after he bagged silver at the recently concluded ISSF world cup. He will represent India at 50m Men’s Rifle 3 Position.
- Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar: He booked his Olympic berth for the first time after bagging bronze during the Asian Championships in 2019. He will represent at 50m Men’s Rifle 3 Position event.
- Manu Bhaker: She is the biggest medal hope of India and will represent India at 10m Women’s Air Pistol.
- Yashaswini Singh Deswal: She won gold at the ISSF world cup and will be alongside Manu Bhaker at the 10m Women’s Air Pistol event at Tokyo Olympics.
- Saurabh Chaudhary: He will be the poster boy of the Indian shooting contingent as hopes are high from him. He won gold at the ISSF world cup, but he is also the top-ranked shooter in 10m Men’s Air Pistol. He will represent in the same event, and fingers crossed that he brings home a medal.
- Rahi Sarnobat: In the 2021 ISSF world cup, she won gold and will represent India at 25m Women’s Pistol. Her Manu Bhaker will also represent India at the same event.
- Elavenil Valarivan: She took the place of Chinki Yadav as she couldn’t participate. She has done well in the past and hopes that she does well at 10m Air Rifle event in which she will be seen in action shortly.
- Abhishek Verma: Abhishek made his debut at the age of 29, as the shooting was just a hobby for him. He has an inspiring story, and hopes are riding high on him at 10m Men’s air pistol.
- Angad Veer Singh Bajwa set a world record with a score of 60/60 at the Asian shotgun championships. He is one of the 2 men who are set to feature in the Men’s Skeet event.
- Mairaj Khan: He has the Olympic experience behind him as he also participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He was the batting partner of Virender Sehwag a few years down the line but switched to shooting and is one of the biggest medals hops of India at the Tokyo Olympics.