Meet 18 under 18 winner Abhinav Shaw, making the country proud with his achievements in Air Rifle Shooting

Abhinav Shaw, a remarkable young talent from St. Vincent’s High & Technical School, Asansol, clinched the title of ‘Youngest National Shooting Champion’ at just a mere age of 10 in the 62nd National Shooting Championship, November 2018, held in Kerala with two Gold Medals- Air Rifle Mixed (Youth Category-Under 19) – (Rank- 1) Gold and Air Rifle Mixed (Junior Category – Under 21) – (Rank – 1) Gold and he also created history by becoming the youngest Gold Medalist at the 2nd Khelo India Youth Games held in Maharashtra in 2019. Abhinav was one of the ‘Youth Icons’, selected by the Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India, to celebrate the 75th Year of Independence, ‘AZADI KA AMRIT MAHOTSAV’. He has also been congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on television on 27 January 2019.

Setting a new standard of excellence in the realm of rifle shooting, he was declared one of the winners of The Telegraph Online Edugraph 18 under 18 Awards 2024. The 15-year-old shares his name and passion for shooting with Abhinav Bindra who represented India at the Olympics and Abhinav Bindra even congratulated him through his X account for his outstanding achievements.

In 2022, Abhinav won his first International medal (Silver) under Air Rifle Men at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2022 in Germany and a Silver and Gold medal in Mixed and Men categories in 2023. At the 15th Asian Airgun Shooting Championship, he won Gold under the Men (Youth) Team in 2022 and a Bronze under the Air Rifle Men in 2023, organised in South Korea. He also won 2 Gold medals under Mixed and Men’s Team in the ISSF Junior World Championship 2023 held in South Korea. He has also won Gold under Men (Youth), a Silver under Men (Youth) Team and a Bronze under Mixed Team Junior at the All India KSS Memorial Shooting Championship 2022, New Delhi.

At the 7th East Zone Shooting Championship 2023, held in West Bengal, Abhinav won 2 Gold under 3 Position Men Senior and Junior categories. He bagged 6 Silver medals under Air Rifle Men, Men Junior, Men Youth, Men Team, Men Junior Team, Men Youth Team, 2 Silver medals under Prone Rifle Men, Junior Men and 1 Silver under 3P Men Junior along with 2 Gold medals under Air Rifle Men Sub Youth and Men Sub Youth Team at the 55th West Bengal State Shooting Championship 2023.

Creating a national record of 633.3 in qualifications among junior and youth men, Abhinav has bagged 6 Gold medals in different categories of Youth, Sub-Youth, Junior and Mixed Team and 2 Bronze medals under Mixed Team at the 66th National Shooting Championship 2023 held in New Delhi. He secured rank 4th in Air Rifle Mixed Team and also ranked 14th in Air Rifle Men at the 37th National Games 2023, held in Goa.

With unwavering determination and a passion for precision, from the early age of 10, he has amassed an impressive collection of medals over the years, consistently dominating competitions at state, national and international levels.

‘I am happy to win the 18 under 18 Award, but I was happier to meet Sudha Amma (Mrs Sudha Murty), a living legend and a true inspiration for all,’ expresses Abhinav.

His commitment to excellence is unwavering, spending hours perfecting his technique and mastering the art of precision shooting. ‘Practising for 3-4 hours a day, I feel that patience and calmness are the keys to success in this sport,’ says Abhinav.

‘My goal is to represent India in the Olympics and win 2 Gold medals for the nation,’ signs off Abhinav.

As Abhinav basks in the glory of his well-deserved victory, his journey is far from over. With his sights set on even greater heights, The Telegraph Online Edugraph congratulates him for his endeavours and wishes him the best of luck in his journey to make the country proud.