Sanjeev Rajput

Sanjeev Rajput is an Indian Shooter born on 5th January 1981. He hails from the Jagadhri village in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana. Sanjeev represents India internationally in the 50m air rifle 3 positions

Sanjeev Rajput - Early Life , Family & Background

Sanjeev Rajput was born to Krishna Lal Rajput and his wife. Sanjeev comes from a humble family background. His father was a street vendor.

At the age of 18, he joined the Indian Navy as a Sailor. While serving in the Indian Navy, Sanjeev picked his interest in shooting. His interest in shooting ignited when he was sent to the sea for training and commissioned in gunnery. He was extraordinary in target practice and thus it was an easy decision for him to try his hands at shooting.

The ship didn’t have a shooting range. Sanjeev and his colleagues fixed a target on the quarterdeck with the long sticks and clips and began to take aim. Sanjeev used all the weapons including pistols, carbines, and big bore rifles.

In 2001, Sanjeev Rajput began his professional shooting career by participating in Inter-Ship competitions and a year later, he became a part of the Indian Navy Shooting Team. In 2014, Sanjeev resigned from the Indian Navy as a Junior Commissioned Officer.

Sanjeev Rajput Biography

Sanjeev has participated in national competitions by representing the Indian Navy since 2002.

In 2004, he received a major breakthrough in his career when he won 3 Gold medals and a Silver at the South Asian Games in Islamabad. Later that year, he won two consecutive Gold Medals in 50m air rifle 3 positions and 50m air rifle prone team at the National Shooting Championship in Indore.

At the 33rd National Games, he won 3 Gold medals and a Silver medal including a Gold in 50m air rifle 3 positions individual. In 2011, he won 5 Gold medals and a Silver at the National Games in Ranchi.

In 2019, he became a National Champion in 50m air rifle 3 positions at the National Shooting Championship in Bhopal.

Sanjeev Rajput Achievements

Sanjeev Rajput made his Commonwealth Championships debut in 2005, where he won a Gold medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions held at Melbourne in Australia. In 2006, he won the Bronze medal in 50m air rifle prone at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, followed by another Bronze medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions at the Asian Games held at Doha in Qatar in the same year.

In 2007, Sanjeev shattered his own national record of 1165 by scoring 1170/1200 at the ISSF World Cup in the USA and secured his debut Olympics berth at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Later that year, he won a Silver and a Bronze in 50 air rifle 3 positions and 50m air rifle prone team at the Asian Shooting Championships.

Sanjeev made his Olympics debut at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to win any medals. In 2009, he won the Gold medal in the 50m air rifle prone team at the Asian Airgun Championship. A year later, he clinched 3 Gold medals and a Silver at the Commonwealth Shooting Championships in New Delhi.

At the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, he clinched a Silver medal in the 10m air rifle team. In the same year, he won the Silver medal in 10m air rifle at the ISSF World Cup in Changwon, South Korea. A year later, he won his first ISSF World Cup Gold Medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions at Changwon World Cup.

In 2014, he won a Silver medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, followed by a Bronze medal in 10m air rifle at the Asian Games in Incheon later that year. At the 2016 ISSF World Cup, he won a Silver medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions in Baku.

In 2018, Sanjeev won a Gold medal in 50m air rifle 3 positions at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and a Silver medal in the same event at the Asian Games in Jakarta.

In 2019, he clinched the Silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro ISSF World Cup and simultaneously booked his berth at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.