New Delhi, Dec 28 (IANS): Commonwealth Gold medallist Anish Bhanwala, who broke the junior world record in the 25m Standard Pistol event at the age of 14 in 2017, explained how the Khelo India Youth Games have been very beneficial for the upcoming shooters in India. Bhanwala said that the Khelo India scheme has helped many shooters move forward in their careers.

"The Khelo India Youth Games is a very good initiative by the government. The competition helps the shooters a lot. The athletes receive good financial and training assistance to move forward in their careers. I know a lot of shooters, who can't afford ammunition but some shooters who were selected in the Khelo India scheme after performing well in the competition have been supported financially so that they can compete for India in international tournaments," said the 17-year-old.

Bhanwala, who has won four ISSF Junior World Cup golds in his career, is currently preparing to book a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

"I have been working hard to perform better and better for many years. I won the Senior and Junior Nationals this year. I am working on my game regularly. My immediate goal is to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. I have been working towards it for the last year," said Bhanwala.

The Haryana athlete started shooting at the age of 11 in his hometown Karnal. Bhanwala has been working with Commonwealth Games gold medallist Harpreet Singh to become an Olympian.

"I started shooting in a local range in Karnal in 2014. Then I moved to Delhi to train for shooting. Commonwealth Games gold medallist Harpreet Singh, who is from Karnal, is my coach and he has been preparing me for ISSF World Cups and to make me an Olympian," said Bhanwala.

The 17-year-old expressed that the Indian shooters have performed well this year and therefore the contingent is expecting great results at the Olympics next year.

"The Indian shooters have performed well this year. We are hoping for a great result in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," signed off Bhanwala.