India’s Maheshwari Chauhan secured a Paris Olympic quota for India after winning a silver medal in the women’s skeet event at the ISSF Final Olympic Championship in Doha, Qatar on April 28. This marks India’s 21st shooting quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics and the fifth in shotgun events. One each in men’s and women’s trap, India missed three Olympic quotas.
While competing in her maiden ISSF Final, Maheswari suffered a narrow defeat against Chile's Francisca Crovetto Chadid in a shoot-off for gold. They both hit 54 and were tied in the 60-shot final.
A lot of hard work over the years to get here: Maheshwari Chauhan
“It was amazing, it was better than what I hoped for. It has taken me a long time and a lot of work to get here. I was really glad that I could get the (Olympic) quota. I’m a bit bummed about the shoot-off, but I have no regrets and am happy with how it went,” said Maheshwari Chauhan after the post-match presentation.
“I am thrilled. There has been a lot of hard work over the years to get here. I am a bit bummed about the shoot-off, but overall, it has been very satisfying. My goal getting in was the final in order to get the quota, but the moment I had it I was little more relaxed and found my rhythm. This was seen in my shooting and I’m thrilled about how it went,” Maheshwari added.
Maheshwari had three chances to win gold
27-year-old Maheshwari put up an impressive performance as she set a national record by qualifying in fourth place with a score of 121 out of 125 targets. Despite having three chances to win a gold medal, she missed her double entirely in the shoot-off and conceded the gold to Francisca Chadid of Chile.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
