When the Tokyo Olympics begin, all eyes will be trained on India’s shooting contingent which has emerged as the strongest gold medal hope f...
When the Tokyo Olympics begin, all eyes will be trained on India’s shooting contingent which has emerged as the strongest gold medal hope for the country.
This optimism is based on the consistent performances of the Indian contingent in the last few years, encompassing this Olympic cycle which started with the 2018 World Championships. India has not only won multiple medals at various international shooting competitions in the last four years, but the top shooters have consistently reached finals in the main rifle and pistol events.
It is worth noting that there was similar hope ahead of the last Olympics in Rio, where India couldn’t win a single shooting medal. But, the hope is that the squad in Tokyo is set to break that hoodoo at least.
In Tokyo, India will field a record 15-member squad across rifle, pistol and shotgun categories. This is the largest Indian shooting contingent at the Olympic Games, and probably the most prolific too with multiple current and former world No 1 and World Cup gold medallists. They are a largely young side, with all but four on their first Olympics campaign.
Shooting will be one of the earliest medal events, kicking off with the women’s 10m air rifle.
