Saurabh Chaudhary
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2015- the Asiad 2018 Gold
Tushar Dutt, VILLAGE BOY TAMES BIG GUNS, August 22, 2018: The Times of India
From: Tushar Dutt, VILLAGE BOY TAMES BIG GUNS, August 22, 2018: The Times of India
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From: Tushar Dutt, VILLAGE BOY TAMES BIG GUNS, August 22, 2018: The Times of India
From: Tushar Dutt, VILLAGE BOY TAMES BIG GUNS, August 22, 2018: The Times of India
Son Of A Sugarcane Farmer, Saurabh Took Up Shooting To Escape Studies
Saurabh Chaudhary is not good at mathematics, but when Japanese pistol great Tomoyuki Matsuda shot an 8.9 in his penultimate shot, the Indian knew it was a score that would not fetch a gold.
The UP boy, just 16, didn’t miss the opportunity to become the youngest Indian shooter to win the gold medal, as he responded with a 10.2 and 10.4. He won the men’s 10m air pistol event with a Games record to boot.
Saurabh, who comes from Kalina village near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, was a little nervous but never short on confidence while shooting along with former world champion Matsuda and four-time Olympic gold medallist, Jin Jongoh of South Korea.
“The start was a little shaky as I was a bit nervous. But as the match progressed, I became confident. I was trailing by 0.4 point before the second-last shot and was looking for a window to cover the gap. When I saw Matsuda shoot that 8.9, I knew it was my chance,” Saurabh told TOI from Palembang.
Saurabh, who took up the sport only three years ago, showed a lot of grit while shooting in his maiden senior international match. “I have done well at the junior level. I made the junior world record three months ago in the World Cup, so I had no doubts over my technique. The only thing I had to take care was not to get nervous while shooting with the names I have always considered as role models,” he said.
Son of a sugarcane farmer, shooting was sort of an escape route for Saurabh. “I am not good at academics and I never found studies interesting. I wanted to do something that I loved to do and shooting was something that grabbed my attention,” said standard XI student Saurabh, who shot 243.7 to create a new world record at the Junior World Cup in Suhl earlier this year.
Shooting happened when Saurabh got to know about the range in Benoli near his village. He got his father’s support immediately.
“Father always supported Saurabh’s decision of taking shooting seriously. His love for shooting was such that once he started shooting, he would train for hours, even without taking lunch breaks,” said Saurabh’s elder brother Nitin, who is in first year of his graduation.
“Once he got selected for the Indian team, he got a small range built in his room and would train all day. We don’t know much about shooting or Asian Games, but we were sure he would come back with a medal,” Nitin added.
Saurabh realises that the Asian medal is big, but he doesn’t have time to celebrate. “I have to leave for India tomorrow as the camp for junior World Championships has begun in Delhi,” he said.
The young shooter has also won a ticket to the Youth Olympics, which will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina in October. Saurabh is supported by not-for-profit sports organisation, Olympic Gold Quest. He had won gold at the Khelo India school games earlier in 2018.
