Shooting prodigy Saurabh Chaudhary, who recently won a gold medal in the men’s 10m air pistol event at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Cairo (Egypt), has come a long way!
From travelling 30kms daily by bus to reach a temporary shooting range in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat district, to now making the tricolour proud in the international arena, the 19-year-old has now nine World Cup medals to his credit.
“For the first time, I didn’t feel the pressure of representing India in Cairo. I kept my preparation for the ISSF World Cup at the same level as any other event,” he says, and goes on to recall the journey to his first medal:
“During my initial days of practice, I used to travel to a small town Dhikoli in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhagpat district. It was a very simple and outdoor shooting range comprising four to six lanes, which was like a temporary range. Later, I started practising at a temporary facility in Meerut, for which I travelled 30kms daily by bus or autorickshaw.”
Meerut-born Chaudhary, who also has world record in air pistol score, was part of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 squad from India, and feels proud of how he has overcome the challenges in his training so far.
“There was a financial challenge right from the start. I did not have my own pistol, and had to use my teacher’s pistol for practice. Later on, we had to take a bank loan and acquired funds from acquaintances to support my practice,” says the champ who is today India’s youngest shooter to win gold at the Asian Games.
Balancing studies alongside pursuing the sport hasn’t been easy either. A college student, he now has his sight set on the next World Cup. “I am preparing for the upcoming trials by National Rifle Association of India and the World Cup.
And am hoping India participates in the World Cup,” says Chaudhary, adding how he is enjoying home cooked food and lots of love at the moment since his return from Cairo. “I always prefer home made, healthy food instead of eating outside.
I play video games on my mobile, and go for swimming and cycling to relax… I didn’t get a chance to roam around in the Cairo city, but did visit The Great Pyramids of Giza along with my teammates. I really enjoyed the visit and was enthralled to learn the history of the pyramids.”