Indian shooters endured a disappointing opening day at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, failing to secure any Los Angeles 2028 Olympic quota places in the 10m air rifle events.
Elavenil Valarivan came closest to a podium finish in the women’s competition, qualifying for the final but eventually finishing sixth. Three Olympic quota places were available in the event.
Elavenil produced a strong performance in the qualification round, scoring 634.2 to finish third and book her place in the eight-shooter final.
Olympic champion and defending world champion Ban Hyo-jin of South Korea topped the qualification standings with 636.9, while China’s Zifei Wang finished second with 635.0.
However, Elavenil could not carry her qualification form into the final and finished sixth, missing out on an Olympic quota place.
The Indian challenge in the men’s 10m air rifle event also ended without success, with none of the Indian shooters managing to qualify for the final.
The opening day’s results meant India returned empty-handed from both air rifle events, with the hunt for LA 2028 Olympic quota places continuing in the remaining competitions at the world championships.
