(Reuters) – Five shooters to watch out for at the Tokyo Olympics:
JIN JONG-OH (SOUTH KOREA)
The 41-year-old Korean has already secured his place as the Olympics’ most successful individual shooter with four golds, including three 50m pistol titles in a row.
The 50m pistol will not be contested in Tokyo but Jin won the 10m pistol gold at the 2012 London Games and will be favourite to claim his fifth Olympic gold and set the benchmark even higher.
VINCENT HANCOCK (UNITED STATES)
The 32-year-old, a two-time Olympic gold medallist, will once again lead the American challenge in the shotgun range.
Hancock won his first World Championship title at the age of 16 and shot a perfect score in the final of the 2012 London Games to defend the title he had won in Beijing four years ago.
A podium finish eluded him in Rio but he has looked in vintage form during qualifying for Tokyo.
OLENA KOSTEVYCH (UKRAINE)
The Ukrainian is a two-time world champion who won the 10m pistol gold at Athens in 2004 and a couple of bronze medals at the 2012 London Games.
The 36-year-old is back in action after giving birth to her daughter Sofia in 2017 and will compete in the 10m and 25m pistol in Tokyo.
MANU BHAKER (INDIA)
The Indian teenager could prove a thorn in Kostevych’s side in Tokyo. Bhaker, a youth Olympic gold medallist, has been in sterling form in recent times, particularly dominating the mixed team events, winning all four World Cup series titles in 2019.
NINO SALUKVADZE (GEORGIA)
The Georgian, 52, will enter the record books when she becomes the first female athlete to compete in nine Olympics.
Winner of the 25m pistol gold for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Seoul Games, the 52-year-old has built her own shooting range in her basement with the help of her son and is ready to shine in Tokyo.
(Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Toby Davis)
