Gajanan, son of a chappal seller, is shooting star at Khelo India University Games

Wednesday was a watershed day for 22-year-old shooter Gajanan Shahadev Khandagale at the Khelo India University Games (KIUG). After winning a full suit of medals in the 10m air rifle event; bronze in individual, silver in men’s team and gold in mixed team, he called home to thank his parents for the sacrifice they made recently. Last year, his parents sold the only parcel of land they owned and used the money to buy Gajanan a rifle. The land was barren, Gajanan said but the family having to part with it weighed on him.
“My parents readily agreed to sell land to fund my passion for shooting. I used to participate in the 50m Rifle 3 Position event but switched to the 10m air rifle event because the pellets were cheaper. But it is not easy to be a shooter, especially for those like me who don’t have big bank balances. My father Shahadev runs a chappal shop in our village and my mother Somitra works on other people’s fields. It is on days like today when I stand on the podium with medals around my neck that I believe the sacrifices were worth it,” Gajanan told The Indian Express.
Gajanan is from Talwada village in Beed, Maharashtra. There is no shooting range near but Gajanan had got hooked onto PubG, the mobile game. There is no comparison between the skills required to play an online game and professional shooting. But he said his ears perked up when he heard about the shooting camp to be conducted for the National Cadet Corps.

“I was excited when I heard about the shooting camp. Because of PubG I liked the idea of shooting. I thought, why play only on a screen. Why not hold a real gun and shoot. I could win medals,” Gajanan said about his initiation to the sport.
When Gajanan needed a shooting kit, his parents borrowed about Rs 40,000 and dug into their savings.
However, the money was well spent.
Gajanan created a new record at 30th All India GV Mavalankar Shooting Championship with 397 points out of 400 in Qualification Round of 10m Air Rifle. Six months later, in April this year, he also scored 630.3 in the 10m Air Rifle National Trials Qualification round, finishing on top. Gajanan who represented the Savitribai Phule Pune University aims to break into the Indian team and win medals for the country at the Olympics.
“My aim is to go to the Olympics. It has not been easy to pursue shooting but I know if I continue to work hard I will be able to fulfil my dreams. When I started shooting, I had no idea about how expensive the sport can be. Besides expensive equipment and gear, the cost of travelling, diet, and maintaining physical fitness, was too much to bear. But I have made it so far and I know I can achieve more in the sport,” he said.