PUNE: Samrat Rana, a 20-year-old from Karnal, Haryana, who was participating in his first World Championships and only his second international tournament, clinched the gold medal in men’s 10m air pistol event at the ISSF World Championships in Cairo on Monday.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Samrat’s senior, Varun Tomar, made it extra special taking bronze with 221.7 points. This is historic as India has never had a world champion in the 10m air pistol event. Having two medallists in the same event is also a first for the country.
Samrat scored 243.7 in the final to beat the shooter of the year, Hu Kai of China, by 0.3 point to become the world champion. Kai Hu, who has won individual gold in all four editions of the World Cups this year, along with Asian Championships individual gold and two mixed team gold in the World Cups, had to contend with silver this time as Samrat was in no mood to let this medal go out of his hands.
The youngster showed resilience and composure to come back after every low shot that he hit during the 60-shot qualification and 24-shot final. Later, Samrat said he didn’t take pressure despite the lows. “I knew I was shooting with some of the great shooters in the world, but I just wanted to do well. I didn’t take the pressure of the medal or my competitors’ presence in the field,” Samrat told TOI after his match.
Samrat, who started shooting in 2018 with his father Ashok, said it was his dad’s unfulfilled dream to become a sports shooter. “My father wanted to become a shooter, but he didn’t have the means to train. But he was always interested in the sport and encouraged me to take up shooting,” he said. “I train with my father at my home in Karnal,” he added.
Former Commonwealth Games champion and now coach, Samaresh Jung, said Samrat’s performance is one for ages. “I am still amazed to see how well he shot under so much pressure. It was excellent. A low shot can derail the plans of even experienced shooters at the World Championships, but Samrat didn’t flinch,” Jung said.
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