With parents’ support & coach’s guidance, skeet shooter Raiza Dhillon to debut in Asian Games

In a release issued by the National Rifle Association of India, Raiza said, “We always had guns at home. It’s part of our family heritage. My father wanted me to try shooting just for fun, to see if I’d build an interest. That’s what really got me started… My parents and coach thought it wasn’t the right time yet, so I trained on rifle first… before making the switch. My father was very excited because it was his idea. My mom, Gul Dhillon, was a bit cautious… eventually, because I was doing so well and I was so happy, she was happy too.”

The Panchkula shooter would initially attend shooting camps at the Gagan Narang Shooting Academy in Pune, training in rifle events before she decided to switch to skeet shooting in 2019. A bronze at the senior nationals in 2021 was followed by her being a part of the Indian women’s skeet team, who won gold, at the World Junior Championships in Lima, Peru in the same year.

Two years later, Raiza became the second Indian skeet woman shooter to win a medal at the World Junior Championships after Ganemat Sekhon. She won silver in the women’s skeet final at the championships held in Changwon, Korea. The same year, Raiza won silver at the junior women’s skeet final in the Asian Championships in Changwon and also won gold for the team while pairing up with Zohra Dessawala and Sanjana Sood.

Raiza had bagged the Paris Olympics quota for India with her silver medal in the Asia Olympics Qualification event for shotgun in Kuwait City before she made it to the Indian team for the Paris Olympics. She finished 23rd in the women’s skeet event in the Paris Olympics.

“There’s something about shooting a shotgun that gives you this empowerment. Even after all these years, it still gives me a thrill. It’s changed my confidence and my whole approach to life. The stress of competing at the Olympics at such a young age was difficult to cope with. But it was also a learning lesson; it made me a stronger person,” Raiza said.

Post the Paris Olympics, Raiza has competed for the Indian team in the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Lima, Peru, where she finished fifth.

In the selection trials and the criteria process for women skeet shooters at the Asian Games, Dhaliwal had surpassed an average score of 116.5, followed by Raiza scoring an average of 114.75 and Chauhan in third place with an average score of 113.75.

The youngster trains under the coach of the Indian team, Riccardo Filippelli.

“My coach helps me with the technical side; sometimes you don’t see your mistakes as a shooter, but someone watching you does. My parents have always been there to support me emotionally… The camps NRAI gives us have been a game changer: the ammunition, the clay targets, the coaches; it’s enabled all of us to really push our shooting and give it our best,” Raiza said.