He may not be able to hear the gunshots around him or even communicate properly. But, 16-year-old Dhanush Srikanth, who has a hearing problem, makes challengers stand up and take note thanks to his ever-improving skills in the 10m air rifle category.
The gifted shooter had stunned critics with an incredible score of 252.5 in the under-21 final of the Kumar Surendra Singh memorial shooting championship in Delhi some weeks back which was better than the World best of Russian Alexander Dryagin’s 251.2 in seniors and the 252.2 of Yuefeng Wang in the junior category.
Dhanush scripted another memorable feat in the Telangana State meet at SATS ranges here last weekend when he scored a perfect 400 to become the first shooter from the State to achieve the record in that event.
An achievement which would have made is guru-cum-mentor and London Olympics bronze medallist Gagan Narang proud.
Dhanush’s mother Asha Srikanth reminds that her son owes everything in shooting to the all-out support of Gagan under the Project Leap Programme of Gun For Glory set up by the ace shooter and to coach Neha Chavan at Pune.
Gagan’s fulsome praise
For someone who started serious shooting only three years ago, Dhanush is already tipped by Gagan as the one to watch out.
“He has abundance of talent, great focus, which should be his biggest asset, grit and determination,” says Gagan.
Dhanush had also won gold in the Khelo India Games in the 10m air rifle (under-21) category early this year.
Dhanush’s mother says he is keen to replicate this consistency at the National and international level and his next big assignment will be the National-level selection trials next month.
Dhanush, who goes to a normal school and moves around on his own, is clearly enjoying the success and, with his father quitting the teaching profession to take care of him, he has every reason to carve a niche for himself in the world of shooting.
A star-in-waiting to emulate his guru? Only time will tell.
