Aishwary Pratap’s passion for Olympic medal and his academy kids’ dream nearing target

CHENNAI: At the age of 14, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar had to move away from his family in his bid to pursue his passion for shooting. The 300-plus km journey he undertook from Khargone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh nine years ago has been paying off as Tomar is s

et to represent the country at the Paris Olympics, his second appearance in the Games, in the men’s 50m rifle 3 positions.

An established shooter now with medals in junior and senior World Championships apart from World Cups and Asian Championships, Tomar understands the pains an athlete goes through in order to achieve his/her goals. While it all is part and parcel of the game, he decided to alleviate the pain to some extent for aspiring shooters of his town by opening an academy in Khargone. He not only spent around Rs 6-7 lakh to buy weapons for the purpose but also donated training gear including shooting jackets and trousers to the academy started at his alma mater around one-and-a-half-years ago.

“I have studied in that school. I had to leave my family and friends to pursue my passion so I thought why not start a facility in Khargone for those who are interested in shooting? So I along with my cousin, Navdeep Singh Rathore — also an international shooter — set up a 10m range in the school. I bought weapons worth Rs 5-6 lakh and donated my shooting clothing as well,” Aishwary told.