Raiza Dhillon from Haryana made history by becoming the first Indian to secure a chance to compete in Women's Skeet Shooting at the Paris Olympics 2024. The 19-year-old clinched a shining silver at the Asia Olympic Qualification in Kuwait City on January 20 and won India its 18th ticket to France. Dhillon was able to finish second with 52 hits, while China's Jinmei Gao, won the gold medal by shooting 56 targets in the 60-shot final.
Meanwhile, Maheshwari Chauhan, also representing India, took home the bronze medal with 43 hits and Ganemat Sekhon, the other Indian shooter in the final, ended in fourth position with 30 hits. Dhillon continued to stay on top of the table throughout the qualifiers but was overtaken by Gao in the finals. Rifle-shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka secured India its 19th Olympic quota.
Raiza Dhillon: Teen Athlete Making India Proud
Raiza Dhillon's passion for skeet shooting began with her intrigue for her great-grandfather's guns at their home near Karnal, Haryana. Speaking to Indian Express, the teen athlete's father described how she was curious about the guns from a young age. "While Raiza has not seen my grandfather, she grew up seeing pictures of the 20 guns owned by him and the six shotguns of my father. All she wanted was to hold a real gun when she grew up," Raiza's father, Ravijit Singh Dhillon said.
"To win India’s first women’s skeet quota means a lot to her as well as the whole family," he added. According to Indian Express, Raiza Dhillon's mother, Gul Dhillon, was the Sarpanch of the Panchkula village in Karnal and encouraged Raiza to pursue sports and dance. Gul said that she was insistent on continuing skeet shooting as she grew older.
She began with a 10m rifle and attended camps across India, including the coveted Gagan Narang Shooting Academy, Pune. Soon, she then insisted on handling more advanced rifles. "As a mother, I was concerned about her getting hurt from the gun recoil but she did not seem worried at all. Her right cheek still has many black marks due to the placement of the shotgun. But then that’s what Raiza loves and we have never stopped her," her mother expressed to Indian Express.
Raiza Dhillon travelled by train every week to train with her coach, Amrinder Singh Cheema in Patiala and Ludhiana. For the last two months before the Olympic qualifiers, she shifted to her coach's village to train there. She has participated in and won multiple international championships.
Last year, Dhillon became the junior national champion and won a silver medal in the ISSF Junior World Champions in Changwon, Korea. She also won a silver at the Asian Junior Championship in Changwon and another silver at the nationals in Goa.
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