Home Mehuli Ghosh shoots Bronze to win Olympic Quota at World Championship

    Mehuli Ghosh shoots Bronze to win Olympic Quota at World Championship

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    Mehuli Ghosh gave India their biggest joy yet at the ISSF World Championship by winning an Olympic quota for 2024 Paris Olympic Games, courtesy her bronze in the women 10m air rifle in Baku on Saturday.

    Mehuli also played a part in India winning the team gold by teaming up with Tilottama Sen (631.3) and Ramita Jindal (630.1).

    After topping the qualification with a score of 634.5, Mehuli, was among the favourites for gold but settled for bronze with a final score of 229.8. The gold went to China World No.5 Han Jiayu (251.4), followed by teammate Zhilin Wang (250.2), No.7 in the world.

    Han also won the Olympic quota along with Shermineh Amerani Chehel (632.5) of Iran and Audrey Gogniat (632.2) of Switzerland.

    It was a courageous show by 15-year-old Tilottama Sen who finished fourth with a score of 208.4 but was not eligible for an Olympic quota spot as only one berth per country was on offer in the final. In the final, she prevailed in the shoot-off against Tokyo Olympian Oceanne Muller of France after the 14th shot, shooting 10.7 against 10.1 by Muller to save herself from being eliminated at 7th place.

    The bronze, Mehuli first international medal this year, and quota berth is a befitting reply from the Kolkata girl after being out of the international spotlight this season.

    Elated at her first individual medal at a World Championship, Mehuli said, It was one heck of a final and I can still feel the nerves of the final. It was a tough fight for everyone as there was a small difference between us (the shooters).ÔÇØ

    The 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Mehuli has also won a silver at 2018 Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games and team bronze at 2022 Cairo World Championship.

    On securing the quota spot today, she said, I am proud that I could give an Olympic quota and medal to the country.ÔÇØ

    This was India fourth Paris 2024 quota in shooting. Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men’s trap), Rudrankksh Patil (men’s 10m air rifle) and Swapnil Kusale (men’s 50m rifle three positions) won Olympic quotas at last year ISSF World Championship in Cairo.

    Saturday was an extension of Mehuli great run of late. She had shot an unbelievable 637 at this year’s Khelo India University Games at Delhi. Though Mehuli score wasnÔÇÖt considered a world record, the fact that she managed to shoot 637, a score unheard of in the Indian shooting circuit, was a big step forward for the 22-year-old.

    Before the high in the women 10m air rifle, gloom enveloped the Indian camp on Saturday as heavyweight names fell by the wayside.

    Atop the list were Divyansh Panwar (627.5) and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (627.3), both Rio Olympians, and Hriday Hazarika (623.6), ranked No.10 in the world, had a poor day, finishing 28th, 33rd and 68th, respectively.

    The qualification was topped by Tokyo Olympic bronze medallist Yang Haoran of China, and he led the eight qualifiers with a score of 633.9.

    In the final, Viktor Lindgren of Sweden, who was the eighth and last name to qualify, finished top with a score of 251.3 and also won the. Unfancied with a world ranking of 103, the 20-year-old only two medals on the international stage came at the European Championships in junior events.

    Yang, ranked No.16 in the world, settled for silver and quota with a score of 250.6 (633.9) and World No.4 Frantisek Smetana of Czech Republic got bronze and quota with 227.5 (629.7). The fourth quota on offer was won by Islam Satpayev of Kazakhstan who finished fourth with 206.5 (632.7).

    Tokyo Olympian Angad Vir Singh Bajwa (121), who failed to qualify for the men skeet final and was placed 29th on Saturday, was a bystander as World No.7 Efthimios Mitas of Greece captured gold and quota with a score of 54 (124). The silver along with quota went to Finland Eetu Kallioinen with 55 (124) and Egypt Azmy Mehelba got bronze with 46 after shooting a perfect qualification of 125/125.

    The other two Indians in the event, Anant Jeet Singh Naruka (120) 44th and Gurjoat Khangura (115) 95th were also not in good form.

    India is at the third place on the medal tally with two gold and two bronze behind leaders China and second placed USA, who have two golds and one silver.