ISSF World Championship 2018: Hriday Hazarika bags a Gold medal in Men's 10m Air Rifle

What's the story?

Teenager Hriday Hazarika made sure that Indian shooters' stunning run at the 2018 ISSF World Championships continued. The young shooter bagged the Gold medal in Junior Men's 10m Air Rifle.

In case you didn't know...

After a stellar display at the Asian Games, the Indian shooters have made their way to the ISSF World Championship. The competition is currently underway in Changwon, South Korea.

The heart of the matter

Over the past few weeks, Shooting has seen several teenage stars rise to the biggest of occasions. Hriday Hazarika followed that trend when he shot his way to a Gold medal at the 2018 ISSF World Championship.

GOLDEN SHOT! Young guns blazing! Many congratulations to our super champ Hriday Hazarika who has shot a GOLD in the 10m Air Rifle Junior Men's event in the @ISSF_Shooting World Championships. Well Done Hriday! Have a brilliant future ahead.#KheloIndia pic.twitter.com/kXTCpN7RlR

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) September 7, 2018

Prior to Hriday's performance, Indian shooters were already making their mark in Changwon.

Anjum Moudgil was the surprise medal winner for India when she shot her way to a Silver medal in Women's 10m Air Rifle. Moudgil also won the same medal in 10m Air Rifle Women's team event, along with Apurvi Chandela and Mehuli Ghosh.

Om Prakash Mitharval won the Gold medal in Men's 50m Pistol, while also bagging the Silver medal in Men's 10m Air Pistol team event. Abhishek Verma and Shahzar Rizvi were Mitharval's partners in this one.

However, the biggest positive for India at the Championships has been the performance of its young shooters.

Both Saurabh Chaudhary and Arjun Singh Cheema won Gold in their respective events. Cheema also won a Bronze, team Gold, and team Silver in the Junior events. Gaurav Rana and Manisha Keer bagged medals as well.

Nevertheless, the big news of the day was youngster Hriday Hazarika bagging a Gold medal. Hriday was touted to be the next big thing in Indian shooting, before his Khelo India disappointment. However, the youngster has been on a comeback trail since then and has proved his credentials by bagging the Gold medal.

What's next?

The future of Indian shooting is in bright hands, as shown by the youngsters in Changwon. It is up to the coaches now, to ensure that their transition to the Senior level is a fruitful one.