Bhopal: He won two golds in World Shooting Championship and has Olympic 2024 quota in his kit, yet he doesn't want to talk about his achievements. The 19-year-old Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil says his aim is to grow as a shooter and winning medals is just a part of it.
His latest World Ranking stands at 8th spot. Till Wednesday morning, he held number 1 spot.
Rudrankksh, who originally hails from Mumbai, currently is in Bhopal for the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup that will begin here from March 20th. When Free Press tried to speak to this shooting star, he smilingly replied, "My gun speaks for me."
Here are some excerpts from the interview:
Ques: How did your shooting career begin?
Ans: Shooting for me began in 2015. I was trying out different sports when a shooting range opened near my home in Mumbai. The coach saw me practicing and appreciated my skills. Then, in my first year itself, I went for a national and won bronze. Since then, I have continued it.
Ques: What else is there on your list apart from shooting?
Ans: I might take the UPSC examinations; I have discussed this with my parents. I was good at academics; I received more than 90% on the ICSE board 12th grade examination. So, apart from shooting, I’ll most likely take a competitive examination. As a hobby, I like playing different sports.
Ques: How’s the shooting infrastructure in your city, Mumbai?
Ans: When I started shooting in 2015, the infrastructure in Mumbai wasn’t up to the mark. However, now when I look back, I feel that not having enough facilities helped me move forward in this game.
Ques: Where do you think shooting as a sport stands in India?
Ans: The standard of Indian shooting is really high; from technical aspects to performance, everything is elite. When we go to the World Cup, we never feel any less because we already have all of that infrastructure in our country. We get good sponsors as well.
Ques: Do you think shooters get enough recognition and fame in India?
Ans: In India, the sport of shooting gets recognition, but the shooters don’t get that much fame. But now-a-days media is promoting this sport. And I feel that not getting recognition keeps us grounded, and that’s a good thing. We don’t do it for fame; we do it for our country.
Ques: How are shooters in the Indian shooting squad with each other?
Ans: Shooting is an individual sport, but the spirit of teamwork holds us together. We support each other. We are all friends, and I have met some really good people through shooting. We help and uplift each other.
I feel India has a lot of talent in shooting, but they quit shooting due to financial constraints, so we need to find a way to fix this problem.
