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Jadhav beats Olympians to win 50m 3P gold

In one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing National Shooting Championships, Navy’s Kiran Jadhav saw off two of the biggest Indian stars in the 50m 3 positions final in Bhopal. Though a shock result for everyone, it was normal...
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Kiran Jadhav (C) with silver winner Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar and bronze winner Swapnil Kusale. nrai
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In one of the biggest upsets of the ongoing National Shooting Championships, Navy’s Kiran Jadhav saw off two of the biggest Indian stars in the 50m 3 positions final in Bhopal.

Though a shock result for everyone, it was normal business for Jadhav, who had already won the national prize in 2021 with both reigning world champion Swapnil Kusale and two-time Olympian Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar in that final field.

On Wednesday, Jadhav went under the radar during the first two disciplines of kneeling and prone and stayed in touch with early pace setters, including Kusale. He then hit his strides in the standing position to win the big prize.

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He shot 465.8, finishing 2.7 points ahead of second placed Tomar. Kusale, who led the final till the 40th shot, finished third with a total of 451.8 points.

“I am not as strong in kneeling and prone positions so my focus was to be steady to stay in the running. When the standing rounds came I could rise in the rankings as it is my strongest discipline,” Jadhav told The Tribune.

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This is not his first dig as the 29-year-old chief petty officer of the Navy has won the World Championships team gold alongside Arjun Babuta and Rudrankksh Patil.

Shooting came to him after he shifted to Mumbai from Bhatamwadi village in Satara. Once he joined the Pillai College he got drawn to the sport as the Lakshya Shooting Club has a tie-up with the institution. Former shooter and acclaimed coach Suma Shirur saw potential and all his needs were taken care of.

“He came from a humble family in Satara. We saw a lot of potential in him and he was fully sponsored by our club,” Shirur said. “He joined the Navy as he had to have a job but even now he comes and trains when he can,” she added.

Jadhav has no qualms in accepting the big role played by Shirur in his career. “I come from a village that has a population of 1,500. My father is a farmer. We do not have the money for this sport. It is very expensive,” Jadhav said.

“I had financial issues. Everything was taken care of by Suma ma’am. In fact, even now when I go there, I am allowed to train and of course she is always there to help me,” he added.

The junior men’s final was won by Arjuna Award winner Joydeep Karmakar’s son Adriyan. Kushagra Singh Rajawat and Deependra Singh Shekhawat finished second and third, respectively.

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