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India's shooting sensation Vijayveer Sidhu secured country's 17th quota place for the Paris Games, alongside winning a silver medal in the men's 25m rapid-fire event at the Asia Olympic Qualifiers on Saturday, January 13.
The 21-year-old, who won a team bronze at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games, joins fellow Indian Anish Bhanwala in qualifying for the Paris Games in the 25m rapid fire category.
Anish had previously earned an Olympic quota by winning a bronze medal at the Asian Championship in Changwon, Korea, last year.
Unlike Anish, Vijayveer secured his quota place not through a medal, but by reaching the final in fourth place with a score of 577.
In the final, where four out of six contestants were eligible for quota places, Vijayveer, from Chandigarh, shot 28 in the elimination round to claim silver. He was bested only by Nikita Chiryukin of Kazakhstan, who won the gold medal with a score of 32.
The rapid-fire pistol event has historically been a stronghold for India, highlighted by Vijay Kumar's silver medal at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Anish was a promising candidate for the Tokyo berth before the 2020 Olympics but failed to qualify during the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi.
The potential participation of both Vijayveer and Anish in the rapid-fire shooting at the Paris Olympics would mark a first for India in this category.
So far, Indian shooters have secured four quota places for the Paris Olympics in Jakarta, with Esha Singh in the women’s 10m air pistol, Varun Tomar in the men’s 10m air pistol, Rhythm Sangwan in the women’s 25m sports pistol, and Vijayveer each earning their spots.
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