Saurabh Chaudhary became the fifth Indian shooter to win an Asian Game gold. TheSportsRush looks at some interesting facts about 16 year-old gold medallist.
16-year old Saurabh Chaudhary was up against the absolute champions of his sport when he entered the JSC shooting range in Jakarta. After the event, though, he found himself at the top of the podium, with the Indian flag right in front of his eyes and the tune of Jana Gana Mana enriching a historic occasion for the country at Asian Games 2018.
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Saurabh Chaudhary won his first, and India’s third gold medal in the current edition of the continental tournament. But who is he? TheSportsRush takes a look at some interesting facts about this relatively unknown face in India’s senior shooting contingent.
He’s a sch.. A SCHOOL STUDENT!
Yes, that’s right. Chaudhary is currently in class XI. This was his first senior tournament, and the shooter will now be off to Changwon, South Korea for the ISSF World Shooting Championships. The Championships will begin from September 2, and will also serve as first qualification for Olympics 2020.
World Record Holder in Junior category
Saurabh Chaudhary is a World Record holder in the junior category of 10m air pistol. He scored 243.7 after 24 shots, beating China’s Wang Zehao’s record of 242.5. He made this world record in the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl, Germany.
Last year, he won a gold medal in the youth category at Asian Airgun Championships held in Wako City.
So it won’t be an exaggeration to say that, well, he’s used to winning golds.
Picked up the sport only three years ago
Chaudhary first held a pistol three years ago at Amit Sheoran’s academy in Benoli, 53 km from Meerut city in Uttar Pradesh. He’s a son of a farmer, and in an interview with TOI, he said that he helps his father in farming when he’s off-training.
His opponents at Asian Games 2018 included..
- Tomoyuki Matsuda – two-time World Champion
- Jin Jongoh – four-time Olympic Champion
- Lee Daemyung – Asian Games Gold Medalist
- Jiayu Wu and Mengyi Wang – Gold Medallists at World Championship
But Saurabh is used to winning Gold medals. Easy. NOT.
The 16-year old has already made himself known among the top-quality opposition in the world of shooting. With a gold in Asian Games already under his belt, he will now look to seal his spot at the Olympics 2020 through the ISSF World Championships next month.
