Maheshwari Chauhan sealed India’s 21st quota place in shooting for the Paris Olympics by winning a silver medal in the women’s skeet event at the ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship Shotgun in Doha.

Maheshwari, playing her maiden ISSF Final, lost 3-4 to Chile’s Francisca Crovetto Chadid in a shoot-off for the top spot, after both were tied on 54 accurate hits in the 60-shot final.

This is India’s second Paris Olympics quota place in the women’s skeet.

“I am thrilled. There has been a lot of hard work over the years to get here. I am a bit bummed about the shoot-off, but overall, it has been very satisfying,” said Maheshwari after the final.

The day began with the Indian top of the qualification pile, but a final round score of 23 meant she was required to qualify for the top-six final in fourth position. Her tally of 121, however, saw her clinch the new national record.

Given Chadid had already secured quota place in earlier competitions and China’s Jiang Yiting, the sixth qualifier, was ineligible as her nation had already exhausted their quotas in the event, Maheshwari’s fight was with three others: Kazakhstan’s Assem Orybay, Azerbaijan’s Rigina Meftakhetdinova and Sweden’s Victoria Larsson.

After the first 20 shots, which is the first elimination stage, the Indian was second, behind Chadid, having missed two targets.

The quota was confirmed after Rigina bowed out, having missed five in 30. Victoria of Sweden would claim the other available quota.

With quota place in Paris booked, Maheshwari got better as the final progressed, catching up with the leader after 50 shots. Both had missed five at that stage.

Maheshwari then had three chances to win gold, but it was not to be and she missed her double entirely in the third shoot-off round to hand Chadid the gold.

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