Indian Shooters Qualified For The Tokyo Olympics 2021

• 02 April 2021

Which Indian shooters have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics?

The 2021 Tokyo Olympics countdown has begun with the torch relay that kicked off on Thursday, ushering the feisty world of sports into action. The mega sporting event which was planned to roll out in July 2020 has been postponed to May 2021 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic woes. With new hope and optimism in their hearts, the Indian masses would be braiding new dreams and expectations on the Indian Contingents who will feature in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic events.

Over the years, shooting has been one of India's most rewarding Olympic sport, which featured many champion shooters such as Gold Medalist - Abhinav Bindra, 2004 Athens Olympics Silver Medalist - Rajyavardhan Rathore, 2012 London Olympics Bronze winner Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar honoring the silver medal in 2012 London Olympics.

Alas, a disappointing campaign at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics saw India not winning a single medal in the shooting, failing to keep hold of its promises. Nevertheless, the Indian shooting has been on a spectacular rise in the past couple of years, with several young talents from the nation besting at the highest level, while Indian marksmen leading the charts in the recently concluded ISSF World Cup.

It was a moment of joy to behold, as the Indian shooters have claimed a record by securing 15 quotas for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The Indian shooters would be hoping to inspire in the forthcoming Tokyo Summer Olympics 2021. This feature exclusively brings out the shooters to you, who have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

Women's category:

1. Anjum Moudgil- Women's 10 M Air Rifle:

Courtesy: Facebook/Anjum Moudgil

The first name on the spreadsheet, Anjum Moudgil made her maiden cut into Tokyo Olympics 2021 by scalping the silver medal at the 2018 ISSF World Championships which was held in Changwon, South Korea. Anjum Moudgil finished behind local star Hana I'm with a score of 248.4 in the final of the women's 10m Air Rifle to claim one of the four Olympic quota places. She also bagged the silver medal at the 2018 Gold Coast's Commonwealth Games (CWG) scoring 455.7 in the 50 M Rifle 3 position. Backed with a blend of exuberant accuracy and intelligence, Anjum Moudgil would be hoping to continue her brilliant journey by bagging a medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

2. Apurvi Chandela – Women's 10 M Air Rifle:

Courtesy: Facebook/Apurvi Chandela

Apurvi Chandela tops the rankings in the Women's Rifle category after displaying clinical performances in the 2019 ISSF World cups which were held in India and Munich. She bagged the gold medal in both editions. She also made her mark at the 2018 ISSF World Championships by securing fourth place with a score of 207 in the women's 10m Air Rifle final to filch a spot in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

3. Tejaswini Sawant- Women's 50 M Air Rifle 3 Position:

Courtesy: Facebook/Tejaswini Sawant

Tejaswini Sawant, the wonder girl from Kolhapur is the third woman shooter to represent India at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Her fourth-place finish at the 2019 Asian Championship, helped Tejaswini to earn a berth in the Tokyo Olympics 2021. Tejaswini Sawant has won medals in almost all the major international competitions in which he participated. Having experiences and more success to her name, she would be hoping to continue her fairytale journey by bagging a medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

4. Yashaswini Singh Deswal- Women's 10 M air pistol:

Yashaswini Singh Deswal on winning 10m air pistol event in the fifth edition of the International Online Shooting Championship (IOSC). 

The current top-ranked shooter in the women's Air pistol category Yashaswini Deswal scripted a new history in her fairytale by winning the gold medal at the 2019 ISSF World Cup by defeating Olena Kostevych, the former Olympic and world champion, in the final round. This helped her to seal a berth in the Tokyo Olympics 2021. She also bagged the silver medal in the mixed group 2019 Rio ISSF World Cup. The youngster continued her fine form at the Asian championships, making it to the final. Thus she would be hoping to continue this brilliant run and become the first female Indian shooter to win an Olympic Gold.

5. Manu Bhaker: Women's 10 M Air pistol:

Courtesy: Twitter/Manu Bhaker

Manu Bhaker ranks second in the world in the Women's 10m Air Pistol discipline. This teenage sensation from Haryana has been consistently performing well for India in international competitions. She sealed her berth for the Olympics at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, by finishing fourth in the women's 10m Air Pistol. At just 16 years of age, Manu rose to fame by bagging the gold medal in the women's 10m Air Pistol event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast. At the Youth Olympics 2018, Manu Bhaker shot 236.5 toppings the points table in the women's 10m air pistol event. She eventually became the first shooter from India to grab a Gold medal at the Youth Olympics Games.

6. Chinki Yadav- Women's 25 M pistol:

Chinki Yadav wins Gold in Women's 25m Pistol at ISSF World Cup gold medals. (Twitter/NRAI)

Chinki Yadav scripted a new history by clinching the gold medal in the women's 25m Pistol event at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi on Wednesday, outwitting the experienced Rahi Sarnobat in a shoot-off to clinch the top spot. Her fine performances at the 2019 Asian Shooting Championships earned her the maiden Olympic berth. She also represented India at junior levels and also won gold in the 2016 ISSF world cup. It has been a prodigious rise for Chinki Yadav from the junior to the senior ranks and she would be hoping to linger her fairytale journey by bagging a medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2021.

7. Rahi Sarnobat- Women's 25 M pistol:

Courtesy: Twitter/Rahi Sarnobat

A veteran shooter from Kolhapur, Rahi Sarnobat has handfuls of experience representing India in international competitions. She also represented India in the 25M Pistol at the 2012 London Olympics. She has bagged two gold medals in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. She also won the gold, representing India at the Asian games 2018. Rahi booked an Olympic berth by winning the gold in the women's 25m pistol event at the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Munich.

Men's category:

1. Divyansh Singh Panwar- Men's 10 M Air Rifle:

Courtesy: ISSF/Divyansh Singh Panwar

At the very young age of 17, this young prodigy from Jaipur has taken the shooting fraternity by storm. The 17-year-old Divyansh Singh Panwar has represented India at a junior and senior level across all international contests. He bagged a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing in 2019, which earned him to seal an Olympic quota. With his consistent performances, this teenage sensation has proved to be one of the top contenders to win gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. He also scalped the gold medal on Monday in the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.

2. Deepak Kumar- Men's 10 M Air-Rifle:

Courtesy: Facebook/ Deepak Kumar

Deepak Kumar sealed an Olympic berth by claiming the bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championship, scoring a whopping 227.8. He has already set the benchmark with his consistent performances in the last couple of years, making him a stately contender for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. He also represented India at the 2018 Jakarta Asian game and won the silver medal in the 10 M Air-rifle contest.

3. Sanjeev Rajput- Men's 50 M Rifle 3 position:

Courtesy: Twitter

A veteran marksman who holds eye-grabbing capabilities and experiences, representing India in all international tournaments. He also represented India in the 50 M Rifle 3 position at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Sanjeev Rajput obtained an Olympic berth with a silver medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Rio De Janeiro. At the 2018 Gold Coast Common Wealth Games, he bagged the Gold medal in the 50m three positions event.

4. Aishwary Singh Tomar- Men's 50 M rifle 3 position:

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar at the 2019 Asian Airgun Championships

Young Indian shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar clinched the gold medal in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions event, outgunning the veterans Istvan Peni and Steffen Olsen to stand top in the 2021 ISSF World Cup. He won the bronze medal and sealed a quota for the Tokyo Olympics in the finals of the 50m rifle 3P event at the Asian Shooting Championships in Doha, Qatar which was held in November 2019. This young sensation from Madhya Pradesh was the gold medallist at the 2019 Suhi Youth ISSF World Cup. Aishwary Singh has had a promising start to his young career and would be hoping to continue his winning momentum in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics as well.

5. Abhishek Verma- 10 M Air pistol:

ISSF World Cup: Abhishek Verma won gold in the 10m air pistol event.

The current top-ranked shooter in the Men's Air pistol category, Abishek Verma clinched an Olympic quota in the men's Air Pistol with a gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Beijing in April 2019. He had fantabulous stints in 2019, where we won 2 gold medals at the ISSF World Cups held in Rio de Janerio and Beijing. He also won the bronze medal at the 2018 Asian Games, representing India. With his consistent performances, Verma has established himself as one of the best shooters in the world and remains one of India's main prospects for Tokyo 2021.

6. Saurabh Chaudhary: 10M AIR PISTOL

Saurabh Chaudhary won gold medal in New Delhi on his senior World Cup debut | PTI

7. Mairaj Ahmad Khan: Skeet

(Source: Mairaj's Twitter handle)

Mairaj Ahmad Khan is a veteran skeet shooter, who has represented India at International matches, clinched the silver medal to claim the men's skeet quota for the Tokyo 2021 Olympics. Mairaj Ahman Khan participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he finished at ninth position. He bagged the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Shooting Championship, New Delhi, India. Since then, he kept his lively form intact and again will be contesting in the 2021Tokyo Olympics.

8. Angad Veer Singh Bajwa: Skeet

Courtesy: Facebook/Angad Vir Singh Bajwa

Angad Vir Singh Bajwa won gold in the men's skeet event at the 2019 Asian Shooting Championships. Parinaz Dhaliwal

At the 2019 Asian Shooting Championships, Veer Singh won Gold in the men's Skeet event and sealed his maiden Olympic quota at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. The Chandigarh born skeet shooter guided India to more glory when he bagged a gold medal in the mixed sheet contest at the 2021 ISSF World Cup.

By Baraneetharan K