New Delhi: Khelo India Youth Games champion Manavaditya Singh Rathore won the hearts of all by winning three gold medals in the recently concluded 63rd National Shotgun Championship. Manavaditya, son of former Sports Minister and Olympic medalist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, now wants to do well in senior shooting and like his father to win medals in Olympics. Here are the excerpts:
- Your father is also in shooting, so how did you come to this game?
"The atmosphere of the house was such that the gun used to be around. I have never seen a gun with the sight of a weapon, always like a toy. Since childhood, I was interested in guns and I used to play with toys. When there was a shooting range at home, I would also see my father firing a gun. In this way, my interest in this game started growing. Then my father gave me a gun to drive and that's how my shooting started".
- When you raised the gun in childhood, are you not scared? Do children get scared like this?
"I was very happy to see the gun because I used to make a sound and smoke coming out while driving the gun and I was very happy to see it. I loved guns since childhood".
- When did you first shoot?
"I first picked up the gun at the age of 11. She was a father.
- How is your journey in shooting right now, how do you see it?
"I just had a national championship, so this was my last year in junior. I finished my junior career by winning the Junior National Championship. Now I am moving into a senior career and want to participate in the upcoming World Cup and will try to get quota for the next Olympics".
- You take advice from your father about shooting and what things related to this game he tells you?
"I keep getting advice from my father for shooting. He doesn't give me any technical advice. He keeps sharing with me his different championship experiences with which he used to participate. How he faced the pressure and how he faced the challenges and moved forward. These stories tell me, from whom I learn and follow".
India clinches gold medal by defeating Pakistan in the final of South Asian Games Volleyball