"I took it as a motivation" - Indian shooter Raiza Dhillon on her comeback for Paris Olympics 2024 after missing the Asian Games 2023

Young Indian skeet shooter Raiza Dhillon took her Asian Games 2023 exclusion as a motivation to improve her gameplay ahead of the forthcoming Paris Olympics 2024, scheduled to start on July 26.

National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) fielded Darshna Rathore, Ganemat Sekhon, and Parinaaz Dhaliwal in the women’s skeet team, with Raiza Dhillon missing out in the Asian Games.

The NRAI had considered scores from four trials and performances at a few international tournaments from 2023 to announce the shotgun squad for the Asian Games. Interestingly, women’s skeet shooters failed to secure a medal at the campaign.

“I was a bit disappointed in missing out. Though the scores were the same, the policy wasn’t in my favor. I took it as a motivation and focussed on my progress to come back strong,” Raiza Dhillon told the media.

India bagged 22 medals, including seven gold, nine silver, and six bronze at the Asian Games 2023 in shooting, surpassing its previous best haul of 14, including three gold, achieved in the Asian Games in 2006.

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“We’ve a big contingent, and that’s motivating” - Raiza Dhillon

NRAI is set to field a record number of 21 shooters at Paris 2024, making it India’s best-ever haul in shooting at any edition of the Olympics, going past its previous best of 15 from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

“I am keeping a very realistic goal for myself. We’ve a big contingent in shooting and that’s very motivating. It shows we’ve improved over the past four years. We’re seeing that as a confidence booster ahead of the Olympics,” she added.

“All I need to work on is to implement what I’ve practiced. I don’t want to get intimidated by the shooters present over there. I definitely take inspiration from them. My focus is only to work on my goal,” she went on to state.

Raiza emerged as the first female to secure a quota for the Olympic skeet event. She bagged her quota after clinching the silver medal in the women’s individual skeet event at the Asian Shotgun Championships in January 2024.

Later, in the four-stage trials hosted by the NRAI, Raiza confirmed her Paris Olympics 2024 spot with her impressive performance in the trials. Shooting at the Paris Olympics 2024 is scheduled to take place from July 27 to August 5.