Thrust into the limelight, there are some who succumb to stage fright, given the enormity of the occasion. And there is Ramita Jindal, who mounted the podium in her maiden international appearance in 2021.
The setting was the World Championship in Lima, and Ramita got bronze in junior women’s 10m air rifle. Few can claim this distinction, and what was important for Ramita, who hails from Kurukshetra and is a student at Delhi University, was the announcement that she is a name for the big stage.
The 19-year-old re-emphasized the point on Sunday by shooting 230.1 (631.9) on day 1 of the shooting competition at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. Her effort landed India first individual medal in the sport, and Ramita first in a multi-discipline event.
Apart from the medal, the day was also about Ramita stepping out of the shadows of the hugely experienced Mehuli Ghosh, who missed the podium narrowly and finished fourth with a score of 208.3 (630.8). The third Indian in the fray, Ashi Chouksey, could not make the final and finished 28th with a qualification score of 623.3.
There was more glory in store as India got silver in women’s 10m air rifle team with Ramita, Mehuli and Ashi combining well for a score of 1886.
The team gold went to China, spearheaded by Han Jiayu who shot a qualification games record of 634.1, Yuting Huang (631.6) and Zhilin Wang (630.9) with a Games record of 1896.6.
In the individual event, Huang won the gold with a final Games record of 252.7 while teammate and World No 1 Han got the silver with 251.3.
The third Chinese and World No 2 Wang finished fourth in the qualification but was not included in the final because as per the Asian Games rule only a maximum of two shooters from a country can qualify for the final.
Ramita, who took to the sport at an early age, has made rapid strides ever since she started getting exposure to international events after the pandemic. Quality competitions seem to bring the best out of her as Ramita, in the company of Mehuli and Tilottama Sen, was also a part of the gold-winning team at the Baku World Championship last month.
In between Baku and Lima, Ramita made a mark at the 2022 Cairo World Championship with gold in junior women’s 10m air rifle and the team event.
Clearly, what started as a hobby is now a passion as Ramita has firmly set her sights on making the world her stage on a regular basis.
After the Asian Games medal, Ramita will be focused on the upcoming Asian Championships in Korea, where she will be eyeing India second Olympic quota in women’s 10m air rifle.
For one so young, success early on can be a heady feeling, but Ramita has her feet firmly on the ground. In her moment of triumph, she did not forget the beginning.
I feel like being on top of the world. It is like a dream come true. The medals belong to everyone who believed in me and supported me. I dedicate these medals to my parents who have supported me through the thick and thin of my shooting journey thus far,ÔÇØ she said.