The shooting fraternity, including ace marksmen Abhinav Bindra, Jitu Rai and NRAI chief Raninder Singh, on Thursday said the 8th Asian Air Gun Championships will be an ideal preparation for the Indian shooters before they make a final push to secure Rio Olympics quotas.
The event will be held here between September 27-30, and precedes the Asian Shooting Championship.
“It will be good preparation for Rio. I’ll be using this competition as preparation for future. I am training every day. The range looks better, the lights are more constant,” Bindra, India’s lone individual Olympic gold medal winner, said.
He added, “We are definitely on the right track, to win medals continuously at three Olympics, it shows that we have a lot of talent at home and on the right track.”
India has so far bagged eight Rio quota places. They had won 11 quota places before london 2012 and the National Rifle Association of India president Raninder said said aim is to go one better is the bare minimum for Rio Games.
Raninder confirmed that a total of 180 shooters from 14 countries will be participating in the four-day competition, with hosts India fielding the largest squad of 56 shooters across the senior, youth and junior segments.
Apurvi Chandela, 10m air rifle shooter, said, “This is a part of my preparation for Olympics. A couple of things have changed for me, including my rifle. I am looking forward to it. It’s a matter of great pride that India is hosting this event.”