Jaipur, Nov 27 (IANS) When Sakshi Padekar first considered pursuing shooting as a sports career, even renting guns and purchasing basic ammunition posed difficulties, and her parents had to mortgage her mother’s jewellery to get started.

The 22-year-old daughter of a security guard at a manufacturing unit in Pune, Maharashtra, has made significant progress since her roots. She secured the gold medal in the women’s 10m Air Rifle individual event with a commanding performance at the Khelo India University Games Rajasthan 2025. Additionally, she led the Lovely Professional University team to victory.

What makes this achievement especially remarkable is that it was Sakshi’s first major win in the 10m Air Rifle, an event she had previously concentrated on 50m Rifle competitions, which she started during her time with the National Cadet Corps (NCC).

“I knew I had to remain calm to have the perfect shot,” she told SAI Media, her voice beaming with emotion after winning the gold medal. “I just focused on my goal and practiced a lot for this day, and it paid off today.”

Sakshi comes from Alephata village, located two and a half hours from Pune. Her parents moved to Pune seeking better livelihood and opportunities for their children. Sakshi initially explored several sports, including judo and taekwondo, before becoming interested in shooting during an NCC camp right after the COVID-19 lockdown.

However, pursuing a sports professional career was not easy, as obtaining training equipment outside the NCC camp was expensive.

“I was driven by my passion and the sacrifices of my parents. They always told me not to quit, no matter what happened. We used to rent rifles, which were worth around Rs 40,000 per month, along with ammunition. It was nearly impossible to afford, but still, my parents managed the amount for about eight months until I caught the eye of the Gagan Narang Sports Foundation, which offered me a lifeline,” Sakshi Padekar said.

The LEAP scholarship from the Foundation altered her career trajectory. In 2024, she secured gold medals in the 50m Rifle 3-Position event at the Maharashtra State Shooting Championships in both junior and senior categories, and also earned an individual silver in the junior category at the Nationals. She later represented India at the 2024 Junior World Championships in Peru.

A wrist injury at the beginning of the year affected her training, but Sakshi was determined to make it worthwhile in Jaipur, especially after barely securing a team bronze in Guwahati last year.

“That performance in the Khelo India University Games last year gave me the confidence that I can perform at the highest level and that helped me perform in other tournaments. I feel winning a gold medal here is just a start for me and I hope that I can continue to perform well in both 10m Air Rifle and 50m going forward,” Sakshi added.

–IANS

vi/ab