– by Pratyusha Mukherjee, Aichi-Nagoya, Japan
India’s women’s skeet shooting contingent has steadily strengthened its presence on the international stage, with Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon and Parinaaz Dhaliwal emerging as notable performers.
Maheshwari Chauhan has been a trailblazer for Indian women’s skeet. A native of Rajasthan, she began shooting at 15 and made her international debut at an ISSF Junior World Cup. In 2017, she became the first Indian woman to win a medal in women’s skeet at the Asian Championships. Her breakthrough continued in 2024 when she won silver at the ISSF Final Olympic Qualification Championship in Doha, recording 121/125 to secure an Olympic quota. At the Paris 2024 Olympics, Chauhan made history as part of India’s first women’s skeet contingent and finished fourth.
Raiza Dhillon, one of India’s promising young shooters, took up the sport at 16 and made her international debut at the 2021 ISSF Junior World Championships in Lima. She has since collected medals at junior and senior Asian and ISSF competitions. At the 2024 Asian Shotgun Championships in Kuwait, Dhillon secured India’s first-ever Olympic quota in women’s skeet, while also winning silver in the individual event and bronze in mixed team. She later won the senior women’s skeet title at the 2025 National Championship after setting a national record of 122/125.
Parinaaz Dhaliwal has also established herself as a consistent performer on the international circuit. From Patiala, she began shooting in 2015 and switched from trap to skeet, eventually progressing through the junior ranks to represent India at the Asian Games, ISSF World Cups and World Championships. She won silver in the women’s skeet team event at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in New Delhi and bronze in the junior team event at the 2022 ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl.
Together, the three shooters reflect the growing depth of Indian women’s skeet shooting, combining international medals, Olympic experience and strong performances across individual and team events. Their development has been supported by national training infrastructure, coaching and exposure to international competition, providing a platform for the next generation of Indian shotgun shooters.
