India’s Paris Olympics medal-holders will showcase their skills in men’s/women’s shooting at the 67th National Shooting Championship Competition (NSCC) beginning Wednesday. Swapnil Kusale and Sarabjot Singh will participate in the rifle and pistol events respectively. Double medallist Manu Bhaker-the star of India’s campaign in Paris-will participate in the MQS (Minimum Qualification Score) section only.
When & Where Competitions will Take Place?
Shotgun (December 11, 2024-January 19, 2025) and pistol (December 13, 2024-January 5, 2025) competitions will be held at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range here, while Bhopal’s MP State Shooting Academy Range from 15 to 31 Rifle Nationals will be held till December.
How Many Participants Have Qualified for Nationals?
According to the NRAI, a record figure of 13,522 shooters have successfully qualified to take part at the national.
A total of 837 shotgun shooters will compete in five categories, including Senior and Junior, besides Master, Senior Master, and Super Master in skeet, trap, and double trap events.
The rifle competition has received maximum entries with 7013 participants in various categories, while the pistol national competition will see 5672 participants.
How Many Teams will Participate in Nationals?
A total of 40 teams will participate at the national level. These include teams representing almost all states and union territories as well as the country’s armed forces and public entities such as ONGC and Railways.
NRAI is Considering Changing the Policy
Personal coaches might be allow for some of the best shooters, according to the new policy that NRAI is working on. One more consideration is that of extending assistance to special talents who have slipped out of the scope of the national team.
Manu Bhaker’s Request to Enter the MQS Section
Manu has reported that she would like to enter the MQS segment. This means that her scores will not apply to running competitions. After a long break following her participation in Paris, Manu traveled to Lugano, Switzerland, with personal coach Jaspal Rana, and worked on some techniques of her weapon at the Morini factory. It’s time to return to the Karni Singh range, but she feels the need to train alone for a little while.
The NSCC will be followed by the selection trials and thereafter the National Games at Uttarakhand, scheduled from Jan 28 to Feb 14. However, the National Rifle Association of India has not communicated its selection policy yet, but most likely there would be some changes.
