Ace shooter Palak Gulia has bagged the 10-meter women’s air pistol Olympic quota armed with a bronze medal in the Finals of the rifle and pistol Olympic qualification championship held in Rio de Janeiro.
The Asian Games gold medallist moved up the scoreboard in an exciting final. Seven of the eight shooters in the finals were in the race to win the two Olympic quotas. Although Palak had a slow start as she was placed joint-sixth with another Indian shooter Sainyam.
Armenia’s Elmira Karapetyan who had already clinched an Olympic quota, placed at the top of the finals with a 0.2-point margin over Thaiand’s Kamonlak Saencha who had at one point a 1.7-point lead. She finished her last shot of 8.6. The 16-year-old Thai shooter bagged the Olympic quota alongside Palak, once Hungary’s Veronika Major placed fourth.
This was India’s second Olympic quota in the event, the first one being won by Esha Singh. Indian rifle and pistol team have swept all possible 16 Olympic quota places for the Paris Games.
So far, India holds 20 Olympic quotas. The onus is now with the shotgun shooters in trap and skeet, men and women, to bag the remaining four Olympic quota places. The Olympic qualification championship finals for shotgun will be conducted in Doha, Qatar, from April 21 to 28.
