Shimla, August 29
Two shooters from Rohru made it to the team that will represent India in the ISSF Junior World Championship, scheduled for next month in Lima, Peru. Surya Pratap Singh Banshtu made the cut in the junior men’s 50m rifle prone and Zeena Khitta has been picked for the 10m air rifle event.
A few days back, Renuka Thakur from a village, near Rohru, was selected for the India T20 squad for the upcoming Australia tour.
“It’s for the first time that rifle shooters from the state have made it to the ISSF World Championship,” said Virender Banshtu, father of Surya. Virender runs a shooting academy at his school in Rohru, and the shooters started their journey in the sport from his academy. “They started shooting when they were in Class VII. After they completed matriculation, we shifted them to DAV School, Chandigarh, and then to DAV College,” said Virender.
Both shooters participated in the Junior World Cup held in Sydney in 2018, besides winning several medals in the national championship. “We are hopeful they will return from the championship with medals,” said Virender.
Virender said the sport was growing in the state, but there was a need to attract more talent to it. “First of all, parents need to support children, who want to pursue shooting, or any other sport. Shooting is an expensive sport, but we have seen sportspersons emerging from families and areas not too well-off. So, finance is not a hurdle, if someone wants to pursue it,” he said. — TNS
Courtesy: Tribune News Service