India’s Maheshwari Chauhan and Anant Jeet Singh Naruka narrowly missed out on a historic bronze medal in the skeet mixed team event at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Monday. The Indian duo put up a valiant effort but ultimately fell short against China’s Yiting Jiang and Jianlin Lyu in a thrilling bronze-medal match.
In the qualification round, Chauhan and Naruka displayed impressive form, aggregating 146 to secure a spot in the medal match. Chauhan recorded scores of 24, 25, and 25 (74), while Naruka also registered an identical tally of 74 (25, 23, 24).
The bronze-medal match was a tense affair, with both teams trading shots and neither side able to gain a significant advantage. In the first station, China’s Lyu and Jiang earned perfect scores of 4/4 against India. India’s Anant Jeet missed out on one of the four targets (3/4), while Chauhan earned a score of 4/4.
In Station 2, Anant Jeet and Chauhan both missed one target, while Jiang missed three targets, resulting in a tie between the two teams. The match remained close throughout, with both teams tied on scores after Station 3.
In Station 4, India fell behind by a point, but Anant Jeet and Chauhan made a perfect start in Station 5. However, in the decider, China’s Lyu and Jiang achieved a perfect 4/4 to secure the bronze medal. India finished fourth with a score of 43/48, just one point behind China’s 44/48.
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a medal, Chauhan and Naruka can be proud of their performance. They represented India with distinction and showcased their talent on the world stage. Their performance bodes well for the future of Indian shooting and raises hopes for success in future Olympic Games.
