Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh selected for ISSF World Cup

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Madhya Pradesh’s ace shooter Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar has been selected for International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Rifle/Pistol to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from May 8 -15.

In the third edition of ISSF World Cup held here in Bhopal, Tomar had secured fourth place. Though Tomar lost a medal at home range, the home crowd cheered for him as loudly as they could when he stepped away from the range.

"Aishwary Dada, you are our hero," said the crowd with thunderous applause during his match. When Free Press asked Aishwary, "What went wrong?” he said, "Shooting is unpredictable, I tried my best."

After Tomar’s performance, an official said, "The pressure of performing in home range always takes a toll on an athlete’s performance. Sometimes, it makes you win but many times, it drains you down."

At present, Aishwary is world number 2 in 50-metre rifle 3-position men event. He will represent the country in the same event at ISSF World Cup.

National Rifle Association of India, the governing body for the Olympic sport of shooting, has named a 22-member Indian squad of which Aishwary is part. This will be the year’s fourth ISSF World Cup after the third was held in Bhopal recently.