Indian Shooters Shine with Bronze in Asia Olympic Qualification Shotgun

New Delhi: Raiza Dhillon continued her stellar performance at the Asia Olympic Qualification Shotgun in Kuwait by securing her third medal, completing a trifecta with one medal of each color. This time, she partnered with Gurjoat Khangura to claim a bronze in the Skeet Mixed Team competition.

Facing local favorites Abdullah Alrashidi and Eman Al Shama in the second bronze medal match, Raiza and Gurjoat exhibited exceptional marksmanship, outshooting their opponents 41-39.

Raiza’s earlier successes included a silver and a Paris Olympic quota in the women’s skeet individual event, along with Anantjeet Singh Naruka. She also contributed to the women’s skeet team’s gold medal.

India wrapped up the competition with an impressive tally of one gold, three silver, and four bronze medals, securing the fourth position in the overall standings.

The Skeet Mixed Team event, set to debut in the Paris Olympics, has seen commendable performances from Indian shooters. The duo of Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Ganemat Sekhon previously clinched gold in the Cairo World Cup stage last year. Raiza Dhillon and Gurjoat continued this success by adding a hard-fought bronze in Kuwait.

During the 17-pair qualification round, Raiza and Gurjoat scored 138 out of a possible 150, securing their spot in the second bronze match-up against Kuwaiti legends Alrashidi and Eman.

The Indian pair started the final strongly, maintaining the lead after the first two series. Despite facing a tough challenge from the Kuwaitis, Raiza and Gurjoat capitalized on a weak fifth series, hitting all four targets. The evenly contested final sixth series ultimately led to a two-point victory for the Indian duo.