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Joydeep Karmakar's son Adriyan has successfully defended his gold medal during the 6th Khelo India Youth Games in Chennai. Representing West Bengal, Adriyan bagged the gold medal in the 50M three-position event.
Carrying the burden of being the defending champions and also the rich legacy of his father Joydeep Karmakar, the 18-year-old handled the pressure and expectations exceedingly well to grab the successive gold medals.
Adriyan Karmakar looked upbeat about his victory but he also talked about the struggles behind his success after securing the gold. The 18-year-old began shooting at the tender age of eight and he also talked about the pressure of being the son of Joydeep Karmakar.
For the unversed, Joydeep is the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 2010 World Cup silver medalist. Furthermore, he finished 4th in the 2012 Olympics rifle-shooting event.
“A few years back, I kind of strayed away from the sport. I was not focused because I had been shooting from a very young age. So I had a phase where it was just, ‘okay, my dad is telling me to go to the range. Okay, I'll just go to the range. I'll just stand there for 1 hour. I don't want to do that. I just want to watch YouTube or just play around,” said Adriyan while talking about the time when he lost interest in the sport.
He also added that his father never pressured him to take up the shooting. Adriyan also recalled having a frank conversation with his father about switching from 50m to 10m and how he has become more focused ever since.
"I never got the pressure from him. And he was very open about it. I was into arts and crafts a few years back. So then he got me marker pens and stuff, but they were hobbies, right? My shooting was my main thing. After that, again, I got my focus back into shooting. Now I am very focused, and this is all I want," Adriyan added.
"I see him reach very high standard in a couple of years" - Joydeep Karmakar about his son Adriyan
Talking about the technicalities of the game, Joydeep praised his son but also added that he has a long way to go. He also said that he sees Adriyan reaching new heights from here in the next couple of years.
With a score of 450.1, Adriyan Karmakar, the son of the former Olympian, Joydeep Karmakar, won the gold medal at the Khelo India Youth Games 2024 in the 50m Rifle 3P event.
Praising his son's technical and mental prowesses, his father and coach Joydeep looked upbeat about Adriyan's future.
Joydeep Karmakar said,
"Adriyan knows the sport very well. Technically, perhaps he’s one of the strongest shooters I’ve ever experienced as a Coach. Now experience and mental setup will take him higher if he wants it seriously. absolutely not being biased as a father, but I see him reach very high standard in a couple of years."
