Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh shooters have raised the bar at the Shooting World Cup with their back-to-back medals. MP shooters won a bronze medal at the mixed event, marking the third consecutive day of triumph.
Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, who bagged gold earlier in the World Cup, teamed up with MP’s Sunidhi Chouhan to secure bronze in the 50-metre rifle 3 positions. They snatched the position from the US pair, defeating them by 31-15.
A thrilled Sunidhi told Free Press that she could never have imagined winning a medal at the World Cup. The medal had opened a number of possibilities for her, she said. From an NCC cadet to a professional shooter, the journey of the labourer’s daughter has been extraordinary. Hailing from a small colony in Govindpura, Sunidhi was always attracted towards guns and rifles. She used to watch films and armymen shooting on television and it thrilled her.
MP Shooter Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar |
When she got into college, Sunidhi came to know about the National Cadet Corps. She was told that they taught shooting with rifles and it immediately caught her interest. Her commanding officer noticed her natural shooting talent and suggested her to try shooting as a career.
Her father, Ram Samujh Chouhan, who works as a labourer, said he did not know that shooting could also be a career. But he was happy that his daughter was happy. So he asked her to listen to what her commanding officer said. She then gave her trials in 2017 and got selected in the academy.
Sunidhi has never stopped since. She represented the nation at five international championships in 2019. She has recently bagged gold for the nation at the South Asian Games held in Kathmandu. And now, she is the proud winner of a World Cup medal.
In the delegation, three shooters from Madhya Pradesh were selected for the World Cup. They have brought home five medals for the nation out of a total of 25 medals.
Minister for sports Yashodhara Raje Scindia said the shooters had brought glory to the state with their performance.
MP star shooter Chinki Yadav |
Chinki becomes World No 1,Aishwarya World No 2 shooter
Star shooter of the state Chinki Yadav has now become the number one shooter in the world with 1,110 point ratings, while Aishwarya Pratap Singh has become the world’s number 2 shooter with 1,039 point ratings. Chinki has brought home two gold medals from the International Shooting Sports Federation World Cup. Aishwarya, on the other hand, bagged one gold and one silver at the tournament. Their performances have made them global stars. Chinki said she could hardly contain her excitement at becoming World No. 1. She was happy and thankful to the coaches for building her into such a shooter. Aishwarya said he was proud and grateful for having achieved the feat. He said the World Cup felt like a dream, but he knew he had to conquer. They will both reach the state on Saturday morning. The department of sports and youth welfare is going to give them a warm welcome at the Tantya Tope Stadium premises.
