Paris 2024 preview (10m air pistol women): Bhaker and Sangwan spearhead India medal challenge

10M AIR PISTOL WOMEN

India’s 22-year-old Manu Bhaker, also picked for the 25m pistol, and 20-year-old Rhythm Sangwan, world-ranked No.3 in this event, will be expected to mount an exhilarating challenge for medals in Paris.

Bhaker, 22 (pictured), won the Youth Olympic title in Buenos Aires in 2018 and the world junior 10m air rifle title three years later and she is the only Indian athlete named for Paris 2024 in more than one individual category.

Sangwan took bronze at both the 25m pistol and 10m air pistol at this year’s Asian Championships.

But she can expect serious opposition from the two vastly more experienced athletes above her in the listings - Serbia’s 37-year-old world No. 1 Zorana Arunovic, who set a world record of 246.9 points in 2017, seven years after winning the world title, and Austria’s 42-year-old Syvia Steiner.

Arunovic ended the World Cup season on a high by winning in Munich with China’s world champion Jiang Ranxin and Li Xue, respective silver and bronze medallists, also indicating their medal potential for Paris, where they are world-ranked respectively fifth and tenth.

Li followed up that performance by winning gold at the World Cup Final in Doha last November, narrowly ahead of her 19-year-old compatriot Zhao Nan, with Jiang completing the clean sweep.

Also well in the medal mix will be the imperious Anna Korakaki of Greece, who won bronze in this event at the Rio 2016 as well as 25m pistol gold, and finished sixth in both events at the Tokyo 2020 Games, going on to win silver behind Ranxin in Baku last year. She won gold at the Cairo World Cup.

Camille Jedrzejewski of France indicated her versatility and potential for a home podium appearance by winning gold at the Baku World Cup ahead of Kim Yeji, the Republic of Korea’s 25m pistol world record holder, and Jiang.

Poland’s Klaudia Bres, gold medallist at the Granada World Cup, will expect to make an impact, as will the athlete who finished second to her there, Mexico’s Andrea Ibarra Miranda.

It will also be fascinating to chart the Paris progress of 22-year-old Kishmala Talat, who became the first female athlete from Pakistan to earn an Olympic quota place after finishing second at the Asian Championships.

Asia Olympic Qualification/Champs Rifle/Pistol – Jakarta Jan

Esha Singh (IND), Kishmala Talat (PAK), Rhythm Sangwan (IND)

ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol/Shotgun Cairo Jan-Feb

Anna Korakaki (GRE), Devi Anuradha (IND), Inna Yunusmetova (KAZ)

ISSF World Cup 10m Rifle/Pistol Granada Feb

Klaudia Bres (POL), Andrea Ibarra Miranda (MEX), Manu Bhaker (IND)

European Championships 10m Rifle/Pistol Gyor Feb-March

Anna Dulce (MDA), Simal Yilmaz (TUR), Zorana Anunovic (SRB)

Olympic Qualification CAT XIV Rifle/Pistol Buenos Aires March-April

Andrea Perez Pena (ECU), Katelyn Abeln (USA), Alexis Lagan (USA)

ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship Rifle/Pistol Rio de Janeiro April

Elmira Karapetyan (ARM), Kamonlak Saencha (THA), Palak Pala (IND)