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MEDAL WINNERS FROM INDIA
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 5/7/2021 1:01:01 PM
Jitu Rai
Subedar Major Jitu Rai (born 26 August 1987) is an Indian shooter who competes in the 10 metre air pistol and 50 metre pistol events. Government of India announced Khel Ratna Award for him in 2016 In 2020, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India. Early life His early life was spent in a village of Sankhuwa Sabha district of Nepal. He is the fourth brother among five siblings. He is a Subedar Major in the 11 Gorkha Rifles of Indian Army. Rai was born and grew up in Nepal, migrated to India and joined the Army in 2006. He is a naturalized citizen of India. He also has a certificate of participation in the 2011 National Games where he represented Uttar Pradesh. Rai first made it to the Army's shooting squad in 2010-11 but failed to live up to expectations and was subsequently sent back to his unit, putting an end to his training at the AMU in Mhow. Career In 2014, at the ISSF World Cup in Munich, he won the silver medal in the 10 metre air pistol event. Following this, in Maribor, Rai won two medals; a silver in the 50 metre pistol event, and a gold in the 10 metre air pistol event. In the process, he won three medals in nine days at the World Cup and also became the first person to have won two medals at a single world cup for India. Following his achievements, he was ranked number 1 in the world, in 10 metre air pistol and number 4, in 50 metre pistol, in July 2014. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Rai created the Games record in the qualification round of the 50 metre pistol event, having scored 562 points. He went on to win the gold medal in the event, scoring 194.1 points in the final, thus creating another Games record. In the 2014 Asian Games held at Incheon in South Korea, Jitu won the gold medal in the 50 m pistol category. He also won a bronze in the men's 10 m air pistol team event. In 2016, he won a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup held in Baku, Azerbaijan in the 10m Air Pistol event.