Niraj beats quality field to shoot gold

Niraj Kumar fell in love with shooting at an NCC camp during his school days in his hometown of Hoshiarpur, and it grew into a passion so strong that he charted his own course just to continue playing the sport.

- Avishek Roy

NEW DELHI:

Since he was 15, he started travelling alone for events. Before his 12th boards, he convinced his family to buy him a Walther rifle. In turn, he promised them he would complete his graduation. While he started winning at the domestic level, he didn't have the money to buy ammunition. He looked for a job that could secure his future. This led him to chase a job in the Navy. He won medals at successive junior nationals to land his promised job in 2018.

"Life on the shooting range has been much easier since I got the Navy job. I am able to focus on shooting and my family told me, 'aap ki himmat hai, aap jitna shooting karna chahte ho karo (you have the courage, do as much shooting you want," said Niraj, 25, after winning gold at the 38th National Games in Dehradun.