Akhil Sheoran won a bronze medal in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions event at the ISSF World Championship 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Sunday and secured a Paris 2024 Olympics quota for India in the process.
In the medal round, Akhil Sheoran was sixth after the kneeling series but mounted a comeback in the prone and standing sections to tally a score of 450 and made the podium. Austria’s Alexander Schmirl took the gold with 462.6 while the Czech Republic’s Petr Nymbursky bagged the silver, scoring 459.2.
Earlier, Akhil Sheoran had finished sixth in qualifying with a score of 585 to make the eight-man final. Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar was 13th in qualifying with 583 while Niraj Kumar was 40th with 577. The combined score by the Indian trio, however, secured the gold in the team event.
The ISSF World Championship 2023 is a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics. A total of 48 Olympic quotas are on offer with the top four finishers (one per country) in each of the 12 Olympic individual shooting events.
Since Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish, who finished fourth, and Petr Nymbursky had already secured Olympic quotas earlier, Akhil Sheoran only needed to finish in the top four among the other six shooters in the final to secure a Paris 2024 quota.
As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Click here to see the official qualification system for each sport.
This was India’s fifth Paris 2024 quota in shooting.
Bhowneesh Mendiratta (men’s trap), reigning world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil (men’s 10m air rifle) and Swapnil Kusale (men’s 50m rifle 3 positions) won Olympic quotas for India at last year’s ISSF World Championships. Mehuli Ghosh secured another in the women’s 10m air rifle at Baku on Sunday.
Since a country can only field two shooters in any individual event, Akhil Sheoran and Swapnil Kusale’s quotas make sure India have completed their quota in men’s 50m rifle 3 positions at Paris 2024.
Earlier in the day, India’s Rhythm Sangwan made the finals of the women’s 25m pistol event but could only finish eighth. Tokyo Olympian Manu Bhaker (22nd in qualifying with 580) and Esha Singh (16th in qualifying with 581) failed to make the final cut.
However, the trio together tallied 1744 to claim the gold medal in the women’s 25m pistol team event. Chinese Taipei and the People’s Republic of China won the silver and bronze, respectively.
India have now won seven medals – four gold and three bronze – at the ISSF World Championships 2023 in Baku so far.
