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The Indian shooting has come a long way. There used to be a time when the sport only made up the numbers at the major multi-sport events. But things started changing for the better at the 2004 Athens Olympics when Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore created history by winning India’s first shooting medal in the marquee event – a silver medal in the men’s double trap event.
Rathore’s feat triggered a wave of following for the sport in India. In fact, shooting made huge strides in the country and emerged as a big medal hope at multi-sport events. The Indian shooters started calling the shots in various big-ticket events, making podium finish a regular habit. Abinav Bindra took India to its pinnacle at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, scooping up the gold in the men’s 10m air rifle event after two abortive attempts in the 2000 and 2004 editions.
Gagang Narang ensured India has another representative on the podium in the men’s 10m air rifle event at the 2012 London Olympics, settling for a bronze. But the real surprise packet was Vijay Kumar, who stole the thunder by bagging a silver medal in the men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event.
And now with the Rio Olympics just two years away, all eyes are centred on talented marksman Jitu Rai. The 27-year-old Nepal-born shooter has captured the public imagination after delivering an astounding performance in 2014. The Naik Subedar of the 11th Gorkha Regiment of the Indian Army picked up the silver medal in the 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich and followed it up with a gold and silver in the 10m air pistol and 50m pistol events at the World Cup in Marubar, Slovenia. With three medals in a span of nine days, Rai also became the first Indian marksman to win two medals in a single World Cup.
It would seem that nothing can go wrong with Rai at the shooting range. He was not picked for his favourite 10m air pistol event at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, but still went on to clinch the gold in the 50m pistol event – an event he again grabbed the gold at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games. Between the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the Incheon Asian Games, Rai won a silver medal in the World Cup in Granada, Spain, thus becoming the first Indian shooter to win a berth for the Rio Olympics.
Rai shifted to India in 2006 and joined the Army’s shooting team in 2010-11. There is no doubt that Rai, who owes much to the efforts of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and Olympic Gold Quest, is a serious medal contender for the 2016 Rio Olympics. It’s up to the Sports Ministry, SAI and NRAI to do whatever they can to ensure Jitu stays injury-free and is best prepared to take on the world’s best in Rio. A fourth Olympic consecutive medal in shooting is definitely looks there for the taking!
