Tamil Nadu 'gunman' Tondaiman set for Olympics debut

CHENNAI: Asian Games gold medallist Prithviraj Tondaiman is all set to make his Olympics debut after edging out Olympic quota winner Bhowneesh Mendiratta to secure the spot for trap shooting in Paris.

"It is indeed a proud moment. I have been eagerly awaiting the team announcement, and when I received the news, I felt really happy. Now, I have to focus on working hard and aiming for a medal," Prithviraj told DT Next.

The decision announced by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) on Tuesday is significant, as it represents India's highest-ever spots earned for any Games. Earlier this month, NRAI announced that India secured a maximum of 16 quotas in rifle and pistol events, totaling 21 Olympics quotas overall, second only to China.

"We have secured 21 quotas, the highest ever, to surpass the United States and other European countries. It's a remarkable achievement, and now our focus is on converting them into medals at the Olympics. Everyone is working extremely hard for it," he added.

The NRAI had previously said that preference would be given to those who performed well in the selection trials in Bhopal and Delhi. Demonstrating his consistency, Prithviraj has consistently ranked in the top three in every trial and national championship since last year.

Prithviraj narrowly outscored Bhowneesh by a single point in the final scores at the Madhya Pradesh Selection Trial 4 held in March. "The new policies demand consistency but you have negative point system and the points for winning a medal is not so high either. So, to make up and be on top, you literally have to keep winning," he added.

"I train very hard to perform well in the trials, and I believe that has been key to my success."

Training camp in Italy and France:

The NRAI has sanctioned a camp in Italy starting from July 1 followed by France specifically for the shotgun contingent. Prithviraj also expressed his desire to train with gold medallists Giovanni Cernogoraz and Josip Glasnovic in Croatia, but knows that his plans are a huge ask, considering he hasn't received any funding from the central or State governments.

But he remains optimistic about the federation's plans, stating that it would definitely go a long way in helping them train better.