In a remarkable feat, young sharpshooter Mehuli Ghosh secured an Olympic quota spot for India in the upcoming Paris Olympics. She achieved this milestone by clinching the bronze medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle event at the World Championship, which took place on Saturday.
Hailing from Kolkata and at just 22 years old, Mehuli showcased her exceptional skills not only in individual competition but also as part of a team. She, along with Tilottama Sen and Ramita, combined forces to claim victory in the 10m Air Rifle team competition, amassing a total score of 1895.9 points. This triumph edged out the Chinese team, who secured a total of 1893.7 points, while Germany earned the bronze medal in this team event.
It’s worth noting that the Olympic quota places are awarded exclusively in individual events. In the individual final, Mehuli displayed remarkable composure, shooting a score of 229.8, which ensured her place on the podium, securing the bronze medal. She was just behind the Chinese duo of Jiayu Han (251.4) and Zhilin Wang (250.2). In the Air Rifle event, the top three shooters are guaranteed Olympic quota spots.
This achievement adds to India’s growing list of Paris quota places, with Rudrankksh Patil (10m Air Rifle Men), Swapnil Kusale (50m Rifle 3 Positions Men), and Bhowneesh Mendiratta (Trap Men) already securing their spots.
Mehuli’s performance was outstanding, even overshadowing her talented teammate Tilottama Sen, who, at just 15 years old, captured hearts with her impressive fourth-place finish. Tilottama scored 208.4 points, unfortunately missing out on the medal round.
In the qualification round, Mehuli demonstrated her excellence by topping the field of 140 competitors with a score of 634.5. The gold medalist, Jiayu Han, finished third in the qualification round with a score of 632.3, while the silver medalist, Zhilin Wang, concluded in eighth and last place with an aggregate score of 630.8.
After the final, a visibly elated Ghosh expressed her joy, saying, “I am very pleased with the bronze medal and securing the Olympic quota. I want to express my gratitude to everyone, including SAI, NRAI, and TOPS, for their support. I hope to continue making the nation proud and bring home more medals in the future.” Reflecting on the final, she added, “I was extremely excited and nervous throughout the final. In fact, I can still feel the nerves. The competition was incredibly tight, and I’m thrilled with the outcome.”
(With PTI Inputs)