Young Suraj fights adversity to bring glory at shooting range

Suraj Sharma was only seven when he lost his father in the line of duty. His father, Yogendra Sharma was a BSF personnel posted in the Akhnoor sector in Jammu and Kashmir. Life took a tough turn for the little boy and his family, but Suraj fought through all the struggles and is now one of India’s most promising pistol shooters. On Monday, he won bronze in rapid fire pistol at the ISSF Junior World Cup at the Karni Singh Range, living up to the promise he made to himself to bring glory to his country on the sports field.

- Avishek Roy

The 18-year-old has had stellar results on the junior international circuit. He became junior world champion in standard pistol in Lima last year, where he also won silver in 25m pistol. This year, he won gold in 25m pistol at the Asian Championships and silver in the 25m standard pistol event in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, last month. Winning a medal on home turf on Monday brought a different emotion for the teenager.