ISSF Shooting World Cup: Who is gold medalist Saurabh Chaudhary?
India's teenage sensation Saurabh Chaudhary continued his fine form in shooting to clinch the men's 10m air pistol gold at the ISSF World Cup, being held in New Delhi. It was a historical moment for Chaudhary, who shot a world record score of 245.0. Meanwhile, he also assured India of a quota in this event at 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Here's more.
Another gold medal for India
A big moment for 16-year-old Saurabh
This moment was special for the teenager given it was his first senior World Cup finals. The 16-year-old defeated Serbia's Damir Mikec with a massive lead of 4.6. Notably, he had already assured himself of the gold medal even before the final shot. Meanwhile, he holds the world record in 10m air pistol event in the junior category as well.
How did Saurabh's qualification go?
Earlier in qualification, the promising shooter had amassed 587 out of the possible 600 in the men's 10 m air pistol event. He had qualified third overall for the finals. Notably, he was the only Indian to reach the final in this category. Shooters Abhishek Verma and Ravinder Kumar had slipped in the final series of their qualifying relay.
Who is Saurabh Chaudhary?
Chaudhary hails from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. The shooter's father is a farmer based in Kalina village. He helps his father in farming when he is at home. The promising star learnt shooting at academy of Amit Sheoran in Benoli, located 53 kilometres from Meerut.
Saurabh had set the Asian Games record last year
Saurabh had won the gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games. He went on to set the Asian Games record as well with his score of 240.7. With this, the teenager joined an illustrious list of Indians, who had earlier claimed gold in the Asian Games. The list included names such as Jaspal Rana, Randhir Singh, Jitu Rai and Ronjan Sodhi.
A look at his career achievements
He won the gold medal in 10m air pistol at the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships held in Changwon. The talented star also won the gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires. He also bagged two gold medals (individual and team) at the Asian Airgun Championship last year. He set the world record during the ISSF Junior World Cup as well.
Rare feat for an Indian shooter
Interestingly, Saurabh is the only Indian shooter to win gold medal in ISSF World Championships, ISSF World Cup, Youth Olympic Games, Asian Games and Asian Air Gun Championship.
