2021 Tokyo Olympics | Meet your Olympians - Indian Shooting Team (Men's)

With four Olympic medals in the cabinet, Shooting is one of the disciplines India looks forward to in each edition since Rajyavardhan Singh Rathod set the trend in 2004. The shooter claimed India’s first-ever medal in shooting at the mega-event, coming back with a silver in the men’s trap event. Abhinav Bindra bettered the record with a gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event four years later, in Beijing. 

For now, let us have a look at the Indian Shooting Team (Men’s):

Inspiration from thriller or action movies can often lead to lunatic consequences, but Abhishek Verma has channeled the same to ignite a career in shooting. He was pursuing a law degree back then, with an engineering degree already decorating the shelf. However, when he picked up a gun at a shooting academy in Hisar, it struck him that life has more to offer than a 9 to 5 job or attending clients at a law firm. Thus began an extraordinary journey.

Saurabh Chaudhary  (10m Air Pistol)

Incidentally, Saurabh’s rise to prominence also surfaced at the 2018 Asian Games, where he became the youngest shooter to claim a gold medal. Days later, the Indian triggered another top-podium finish at the 2018 Youth Olympics. With several accolades beside his name, including top honours at the ISSF World Championships, Saurabh is in the best position to achieve Olympic glory. The 18-year old will also feature in the mixed team event with Manu Bhaker, escalating the success probability drastically.

Deepak Kumar (10m Air Rifle)

Also deputed in the Indian Army (Air Force), Deepak Kumar is yet another living example of how an individual is making the nation proud in two different spheres. Like few others in the contingent, Deepak's resurgence at the top-level was documented only in the past few years, having claimed a bronze medal at the 2017 Commonwealth Championships. He followed it up with a silver at the 2018 Asian Games in his pet 10m air rifle event, compelling the sports fraternity to take notice of him. However, it was no looking back for him since then.

The Delhi-born athlete flattered himself with an enviable birthday gift in 2019 - securing an Olympic quota with a third-place finish at the Asian Shooting Championships. Even though all eyes will be on Divyansh Singh Panwar, it would be foolish for the Indian fans to console themselves that there would be a one-man show in Tokyo. Given the red-hot form Indian shooters have been enjoying, a medal is always around the corner.

Born to parents appointed in medical services, Divyansh Singh Panwar’s entry to the shooting range at the age of 16 was a deviation from the norm. Initially, he used elder sister’s weapon at the Jungpura Shooting Range, in Jaipur. However, his soaring addiction to PUBG left his worrisome parents in a fix. In an attempt to put his derailed shooting career on track, his father admitted Divyansh to Dr. Karni Shooting Range, in Delhi, under the stewardship of Deepak Dubey. The master-stroke slowly, but steadily, returned dividends.

Sanjeev Rajput (50m Rifle 3 Positions)

Sanjeev finished at the sixth position at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in the individual event, a result that cannot be deemed as an inspiring one. However, he struck gold in the mixed event, alongside Tejaswini Sawant. Even though the rookies have overshadowed the senior’s in the current Indian shooting circuit, the experience gathered over the years will give him a psychological edge when he fires the gun in Tokyo.

Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar (50m Rifle 3 Positions)

Haining from Madhya Pradesh, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has etched his name in the headlines more than any other shooter flying to Tokyo. Why? He is just 18 and boasts of securing a gold medal in potentially the last tournament ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Nevertheless, his first tryst with the shooting dates back to the days when he used to go on hunting with his father, while gaining knowledge about the sports aspect from his cousin Navdeep Singh Rathore. Introduced to formal training in 2015, Aishwary was built for the kill a few years later.

The 2019 ISSF Junior World Cup win in Suhl provided the breakthrough his career required. It was in the same event that he created the junior world record in the 50m rifle 3 positions event. The tone was set for Aishwary’s Olympic qualification - which he achieved during the Asian Shooting Championships, later that year. Ranked no. 2 in the world, the rifle shooter would be eyeing no less than a podium spot cometh the Tokyo Games.

The most experienced shooter in the Indian contingent, Mairaj Ahmad Khan is still going strong at the age of 45. The skeet shooter draws inspiration from a certain Roger Federer, who at the dawn of his glorious career is still giving prime contenders a run for their money. If Mairaj manages to emulate the same, we might expect a miraculous feat in Tokyo, unlike the last edition in Rio, where the Indian failed to qualify for the medal-winning round. Four years ripe, an improved display is one the cards from the first Indian skeet shooter to ever qualify for the Olympics.

Angad Bajwa (Men’s Skeet)

Riding along with the success, no one batted an eyelid when he booked a berth for the 2021 Tokyo Olympics by virtue of a champion's display at the 2019 Asian Championships, in Doha. A BBA graduate, Angad has brushed aside any prospect of taking over his father’s business in Canada and has settled in India for good. Luckily, for India, the once-in-a-generation shooter is now fully focused on his game. Even though it would be unrealistic to cover him with the tag of ‘medal prospect’, a spirited showing can be assured when the quadrennial event gets underway on July 23.