Para Shooter Sidhartha Babu aims for a medal in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

Para Shooter Sidhartha Babu aims for a medal in 2020 Tokyo Paralympics

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Sidhartha Babu is gunning for a podium finish at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics, armed with a new German-made Walther, worth Rs 11 lakh, gifted by the state government. Sidhartha is also eligible for the Union government’s TOP Scheme which provides financial assistance to Olympic aspirants for training.

A self-taught shooter, Sidhartha Babu, who hails from Thiruvananthapuram, had finished sixth in the 2019 World Shooting Para Sport Championships in Sydney last month, thus winning a quota place to compete in the 2020 Paralympics. In the championships, he was shooting with a pretty old rifle, but now Sidhartha has been gifted a new German-made Walther -- worth Rs 11 lakh -- by the state government, which he thinks will serve him well in his Tokyo venture. 

“I’m so relieved that I clinched the Olympic berth for the country. Otherwise, I would have had to wait till May 2020 for the next competition. I was really focused and determined in Sydney,” he told TOI on Sunday, while unveiling his new equipment. 

In 2002, Sidhartha was involved in a ghastly motor accident, which left him a paraplegic. Undeterred, he chose to pursue excellence in both academics and sports as he completed his MCA from the College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, before shifting to shooting on a full-time basis. Asked about his roadmap to Tokyo, he said he does not want to relax.

“I would like to resume training with Martynov (Sergi) with the new weapon as soon as possible. I would also like to visit a shooting range in Tokyo and train there for a week, if possible,” he said. 

Sergi Martynov of Belarus, the 2012 London Games champion who won the first Olympic gold for his country with a 13-year-old rifle, had coached him for a month earlier this year. The Directorate of Sports & Youth Affairs (DS&YA) has worked out a plan for him. “We have a plan for Sidhartha. The minister will announce it soon,” said B Ajith Kumar, deputy director, DS&YA. 

Having already secured an Olympic berth for the country, Sidhartha is also eligible for the Union government’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which provides financial assistance to Olympic aspirants for training.

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