Manavjit Singh Sandhu will be representing India in the trap shooting event at the Rio Olympics, and is a part of the 12 man shooting team going to Rio for the Games. The team will also include Beijing Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, London Games bronze winner Gagan Narang, Multiple World Cup and World Championship medallist Jitu Rai and women’s pistol ace Heena Sidhu among others. Let us now take a look at 10 things about the veteran shooter, who will be participating in his fourth Olympics for the country:
1. Manavjit Singh Sandhu was born on 3 November 1976 in the Ratta Khera village of Firozpur district, Punjab.
2. His father Gurbir Singh Sandhu is himself an Olympian and Arjuna Awardee and got Manavjit interested in shooting at an early age.
3. He was educated at Lawrence School in Sanawar and did his graduation at Venkateswara College, Delhi University.
4. He won the Arjuna award in 1998 and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2006.
5. The man from Punjab is a former World No.1 in Trap shooting and set the Asian Record of 124/125 Targets in trap shooting.
6. This will be his fourth Olympics, having represented India at the 2004 Athens Olympic, 2008 Beijing Olympic and 2012 London Olympic.
7. He won the gold medal at the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championships, becoming the first Indian shotgun shooter to be crowned World Champion.
8. Sandhu won four silver medals at 1998 Asian Games, 2002 Asian Games and 2006 Asian Games. He also won the gold medal at 1998 Commonwealth Games and the bronze medal in the trap event at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
9. He got the nod ahead of Sanjeev Rajput to be included in the final shooting squad of 12 for the Rio Olympic Games in March, 2016.
10. Manvjit skipped the World Cup in Baku this year in June to focus on his training in Italy for the Olympics.
