With high aspirations of adding glory to the city’s name, 3 shooters from Jaipur will be participating in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which is all set to start on July 23. While Apurvi Chandela and Divyansh Singh Panwar will take part in the 10-metre Air Rifle event, Avani Lekhara (Para) will mark the nation’s presence in 50-metre Air Rifle. Aiming to win gold medals for the country, the three athletes will be shooting at the Asaka Shooting Range.
All 3 shooters trained at OASES shooting range in Jaipur
Apurvi Chandela images.indianexpress.com
Notably, the three sportspeople started their journeys from the renowned OASES world-class Shooting Range of Jaipur, which is looked after by the Rajasthan Rifle Association. Besides being a breeding ground for some highly successful shooters, the complex also hosts the Annual State Open Shooting Championship.
Amongst the group from Jaipur, Chandela has credited herself with multiple achievements and widespread acclaim. Former World Champion, the woman clinched gold in the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in the year 2014. Besides, the experienced player has also participated in the last Olympics and wishes to bring laurels to the country this time.
Divyansh Singh Panwar i0.wp.com
Similarly, Divyansh Singh Panwar has proven his merit time and again and her achievements include a silver medal in the 10-meter Air event at the 2019 ISSF World Cup. The 18-year-old player ranks world number 2 presently.
Avani Lekhara www.indianshooting.com
On the other hand, Lekhara is equally adroit in her field, winning gold medals at the National Shooting Championships of 2015 and 2016. Additionally, she won a silver medal at the IPC Para Shooting World Cup in Dubai in 2017.
“On the brink of a glorious moment”
The Secretary General of Rajasthan Rifle Association, Shashank Kaurani said, “we are all hoping that these 3 shooters from Jaipur will bring us an Olympic medal. Shooting sport in Rajasthan has a glorious history and I can sense that we are on the brink of a glorious moment.”
Remarkably, the state is replete with shining examples in the field of sports including former Olympian shooters like Dr Karni Singh Bikaner (participated in 5 Olympics), Keshav Sain, Devi Singh, Bhim Singh Kota and Colonel Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore who won a silver medal in the Athens Olympics in 2004. In addition to this, Jaipur’s Shagun Chowdhary participated in the London Olympics of 2012.
– With inputs from IANS
