Ayush Rudraraju is gunning for glory and more importantly this 15-year-old shooter is backing that intense desire with consistency when presented with a few opportunities that came his way.
This shooter is the winner of double gold (individual and the team event) in the just-concluded South Zone men’s ISSF category men’s shooting championship at the Central University SATS shooting ranges here.
A performance which helped him make it to the top six from amongst the 36 top shooters from the seven southern States. Ayush, by shooting 14/16 targets in the semifinal stage and then came up with another similar score in the final to the delight of the close followers of the sport in the City.
For the record, Ayush is the Telangana State junior skeet champion for the third year in-a-row.
Clearly delighted with his performance which won appreciation from the guests including Mr. Stephen Ravindra, IPS, and Mr. D.V.S. Rao, secretary-general of National Rifle Association of India, Ayush is now training his guns on the National championship in shotgun events in Jaipur (November 12 to 25).
Performing a balancing act between academics and shooting has become a habit for this young shooter who during school holidays (studies at Oakridge International School) trains in Italy and the US.
Objective“The whole objective is to be as consistent as possible at the higher levels. Now, having got a feel of what it means to be there in the elite group, I am aware of what are the areas of focus for me in the days to come and I am determined to make it big in shooting,” said Ayush coming from the City which produced the 2012 London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang.
This 10th standard student’s first target now is to retain his place in the junior India shotgun team for the third year in succession. And having represented India thrice in various international shooting events in Germany, Italy and Gabala, he got the exposure to the demands of competition at that level. “Those events are a huge learning curve for me,” he said.
“My ultimate goal is to represent India at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” signs off a delighted Ayush basking now in the ‘double gold’ triumph but keen to stay focused for the bigger challenges ahead.
