Tamil Nadu is making good strides in shooting, says TN association secretary Velshankar

CHENNAI: Prithviraj Tondaiman became the first shooter from Tamil Nadu to qualify for the Olympic Games. The 36-year-old trap shooter sealed the Paris berth after performing consistently well in the last one year.

The sport in the state has made a good headway in recent years. Karthik Sabari Raj and many other young shooters have made a name for themselves at the national level. 21-year-old Karthik (10m air rifle) was part of the five-member contingent for the Olympic trials held in April and May.

Although he did not get through the 10m air rifle shooter, made a good account of himself in the strong field by competing alongside the nation’s top shooters.

“Compared to previous years, the sport has grown and now we can compete with athletes from all over the country. Five years ago, there were close to 35 shooting centres in TN, but the numbers have now doubled to 70, which is a good sign. Also, in the state championships currently being held in Coimbatore, more than 1600 participants are taking part – 200 more than the last edition,” S Velshankar, secretary of TN Shooting Association, told TOI.

Many shooters in the junior category have been progressing well in recent years. In the Khelo India Youth Games held in Chennai in January, SM Yugan, aged 12, became the youngest athlete to win a medal in the edition. He combined with Nila Rajaa Prabhu to clinch the silver medal in the mixed trap team event. Another shooter who has been making rapid strides in the junior circuit is Melvina Angelina in the 50m rifle 3P event.

“There is still scope for improvement as we need more shooters at the elite level. If we look at other states, they have multiple shooters competing in a single event, which is not the case here (in TN). There are only three centres for shotgun in TN and all are privately run academies. Also, the cost of buying equipment requires a huge sum of money and not many can afford it,” Velshankar said.

“The state government is planning to build an academy in Chennai and if it is built quickly, it will benefit the shooters.”