The 2021 Olympics have started in Tokyo. On 24th July, Indian athlete Saurabh Chaudhary missed out on a medal. It is necessary to mention that this year Saurabh was participating in his maiden Olympics event. The 19-year-old athlete stood seventh in the men’s 10 m air pistol shooting competition.
At the end of the event’s final, Saurabh finished with 137.4 points on the scoreboard. He stood seventh in the eight-shooter final. However, he had topped the qualification round. Therefore, Chaudhary has become the second shooter to be eliminated.
The Road Ahead For Saurabh Chaudhary
Shahzar Rizvi who was India’s top pistol shooter talks about Chaudhary, “His core is very strong, which provides him with balance for long hours. His fundamentals are strong. He has good technique. He is disciplined, hard-working and completely dedicated to shooting. You won’t find him on social media or in any other activities. He is not shooting gold medals and world record scores just like that.”
On the first day of the Olympic games, Mirabai Chanu secured a silver medal for India. Her dedication has given hope to many budding athletes. Such as the young shooter Saurabh Chaudhary. Mirabai Chanu also had to face disappointments in the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Saurabh’s father Jagmohan Chaudhary says, “He tried his best but it did not work out for him today. We must not forget how young he is. The next Olympics are just three years away. We are proud of what he has achieved. A medal would have given him a big boost, but seventh place in the final is a creditable achievement.” His father further speaks, “The weightlifter (Mirabai) who won silver today had been to the previous Olympics. All credit to her for winning a medal. With experience, one learns. Saurabh will come back strongly. He was competing against other shooters who have been to multiple Olympics and have won medals. It is not an excuse but experience matters. We know he has the potential to win an Olympic medal in the future.”
All the best to Saurabh for his future endeavours.