New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS): The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the national governing body for shooting sport in the country, on Friday felicitated members of the successful and history-making Indian Olympic shooting squad, which returned with three bronze medals from the Paris 2024 Olympics. This is the first for any Olympic sport for India had accounted for half the total medals won by the country.
The gala ceremony was attended by the entire Indian shooting contingent which included the medalists Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale. The medalists were felicitated with cash prizes while the entire squad was felicitated with mementos by the National Rifle Association of India.
Also, present on the occasion were Raja Randhir Singh, President, Olympic Council of Asia; Meenakshi Lekhi, former Minister of State of External Affairs & Culture, Government of India; Yashodhara Raje Scindia, former Minister of Sports & Youth Welfare, Technical Education & Skill Development & Employment, Government of Madhya Pradesh; Dr. Narinder Dhruv Batra, Former President, Indian Olympic Association; 2012 Olympics silver medalist Vijay Kumar and bronze medallist Gagan Narang, former double trap world champion Ronjan Sodhi, Arjuna Awardee and winter Olympian Shiva Keshavan amongst other prominent personalities.
Olympic Double medalist Manu Bhakar was awarded with a prize money of INR 45 lakh, while 50M 3 position bronze medalist Swapnil Kushale received INR 30 lakh and 10 M Air Pistol Mixed Team Bronze medalist Sarabjit Singh was felicitated with a cash prize of INR 15 lakh.
The support staff that included Dr. Pierre Beauchamp, High-Performance Director, Thomas Farnik, Foreign Rifle Coach, Munkhbyar Dorjsuren, Foreign Pistol Coach, Samresh Jung, National Pistol Coach 10M, Manoj Kumar, National Rifle Coach 50M were also felicitated with a cash prize of INR five lakh each.
Kalikesh SinghDeo, Officiating President, NRAI said, “Our shooters and coaches and the entire support staff have done the country proud. They have proven that they are second to none in this sport, which is no mean achievement.
"They deserve all the accolades and awards that they are getting and we are confident that this performance will herald a new wave of Shooting talent from across India," he added.
After the Paris Games, shooting has officially become India’s most successful Olympic sport after hockey, the most successful since 1968 and the only sport to fetch three medals at a single Olympics.
Indian shooters, since Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore’s famous silver at the Athens Games in 2004, have accumulated a total of one gold, two silver and four bronze medals.
It has also the highest number of Olympic medallists in any sport after hockey with as many as seven (Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Abhinav Bindra, Vijay Kumar, Gagan Narang, Manu Bhaker, Sarabjot Singh, Swapnil Kusale) Indian shooters having won Olympic medals.
Even outside the Olympic Games, Indian shooting has gone from strength to strength over the last two decades or so throwing up several World, Continental and multi-sport champions across the junior, youth and senior categories. Indian shooters also hold several world records.
At the Paris Games, the Indian shooters won a record 21 quota places out of a maximum of 24, not only their but India’s highest ever for any sport in terms of direct qualification for the Summer Games.