Shooting
The shooters from India's armed forces have hit bull’s eye and made the nation proud in international meets several times over. The Army Marksmen Unit based in Mhow is an ace establishment for sporting excellence. It has undoubtedly been the breeding ground in nurturing some of the best sharp shooters in the country.
Colonel (then Major) Rajyvardhan Singh Rathore from the Grenadiers Regiment created history of sorts when he won a silver medal in the Men’s Doubles Trap event at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Rathore, an accomplished trap shooter, has also won gold medals in the Doubles trap event at the 2002 and 20006 Commonwealth Games.
An ace pistol shooter, Subedar Vijay Kumar from the Dogra Regiment proved his mettle when he bagged a silver medal in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol at the 2012 London Olympics. Vijay has been a silver medallist at the World Shooting Championships besides winning medals for India at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.
Jitu Rai seems to be the latest shooting sensation to come out of the Indian Army. Rai, a Naib Subedar with the 11th Gorkha Rifles, has been a top class pistol shooter in the international circuit, winning gold medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Games in 2014. Rai also made his mark at the 2014 ISSF World Cup by winning two silvers and a gold in the event.
Gurpreet Singh, a sapper in the Indian army, did the nation proud by winning two gold medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. Harpeet Singh, a sailor with the Indian Navy, won two gold medals in 25m Center Fire Pistol event at Commonwealth Games 2010 New Delhi and a silver medal in 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event at the Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow.
