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Indian shooters gear up to grab 14 quota places for Tokyo Games

Out of the 16 quotas, India have a chance to extract a maximum of 14 considering that Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela have already booked their places in the women’s 10m Air Rifle.

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Focus will be on Saurabh Chaudhary in his first senior World Cup outing
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The qualification race for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics has begun for the Indian shooters. 

With 16 quota places on offer at the ISSF World Cup to be held here at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range from February 21-28, as many as eight first-timers are among the total 23 Indian shooters eyeing these quotas in the 10 scheduled medal events.

Out of the 16 quotas, India have a chance to extract a maximum of 14 considering that Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela have already booked their places in the women’s 10m Air Rifle. 

Apart from the 23, there are 11 more from India in action in the Minimum Qualification Score section. Only the two mixed team events — one each in Air Rifle and Air Pistol — out of the 10 events will have no quotas on offer.

Amongst the young guns, a lot of focus will be on 16-year-old Saurabh Chaudhary, who has been hogging the limelight in recent times, in the 10m Air Pistol. The Meerut-based shooter, who won the Youth Olympics gold as well in October last year, told DNA that he is ready to compete with the best in his first senior World Cup outing. 

“I have been taking it easy for last two months or so during my off season. I’m completely relaxed being with my family and not preparing anything extra for this event. I’m hopeful of good results here as well,” said the teenager, whose pistol has been put up on display in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Though India jave already won the maximum possible two Olympic quota places in the women’s 10m Air Rifle, NRAI president is hopeful of two to four more quota places during the event. “It is hard to predict as the sport is very dynamic. We are capable of winning two to four Olympic quota places here,” Singh said.

Singh clarified that the quota won by a shooter is not for any individual but for the country, as was the case during the 2016 Rio Olympics when Sanjeev Rajput was excluded from the squad citing his poor form.

Rajput, who is part of Indian squad, however expressed his confidence in the selection policy of the federation. “I have no complaints from my federation. We have transparent policy of selection and I’m sure that I will continue to perform well till the Tokyo Games,” he said.

Overall, 495 athletes from 58 nations will be participating in this event including those from Pakistan. The event, for the first time, will witness a live television and online coverage.

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