Hyderabad’s Srikanth shoots gold in Deaflympics

Hyderabad: Promising young shooter from Hyderabad Dhanush Srikanth showcased his potential by shooting a gold medal in the men’s 10m air rifle competitions in the ongoing 4^th Deaflympics at Caxias do Sul, Brazil, on Thursday.

The 19-year-old, competing in the Deaflympics for the first time, shot 247.5 in the final, which is also a finals world record score, to grab top honours ahead of South Korea’s Kim Woo Rim. Another Indian Shourya Saini clinched bronze.

With Dhanush, the hearing and speech impaired shooter, doing well in regular tournaments, his parents were reluctant to send him to the Games. However, his coaches and support staff wanted him to compete in these Games to get international exposure. And the youngster now returns with the top honours.

“We are very happy as parents. He made all of us proud with his achievement,” said his parents Asha and Srikanth. “Initially, we were not keen on sending him to the Deaflympics as he is doing well in the regular category. But everyone wanted him to compete there. They knew he would return with a medal and the competition would provide him with much-needed experience at the international stage. This is the first time he is competing in this category,” Asha revealed.

Dhanush, the student of Gagan Narang’s Gun For Glory academy, has been training for the upcoming ISSF World Cup scheduled to be held in Baku from May 27. “His dream is to win a medal for the country in the Paris Olympics. But now he has been training for the upcoming World Cup. He was selected to the Indian senior team and is determined to do well there to realise his dream of Olympics,” she said.

Dhanush has been training for a month with his personal coach Neha Chauhan for this event. “He started training at the Gun For Glory academy in 2016 and he has been mentored by Gagan Narang. They deserve a lot of credit. He keeps training in Chennai, Pune and Hyderabad wherever his coach calls him,” added Asha.

The Telangana shooter, who won a team gold in the junior World Championships last year in Peru, is determined to make a mark  on his maiden outing in the senior category at the World Cup.

“Dhanush has been very dedicated and serious about his approach towards shooting. The parents are highly motivated to support their child. He has good potential and has shot some world class scores in the past. This performance will motivate him to do better in the upcoming competitions and be ready for 2024 Olympics”, said Gagan Narang.

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