From shooting in his grandfather's range to winning medals for India: the story of Shivam Shukla

If there is one sport at present in India which supporters and fans can feel optimistic about, it is shooting. Over the past decade or som, the country has been churning out one fine shooter after the other, thereby further raising hopes of a promising furture.

Last week, we got you the story of Gaaythri Nithyanandam, who won the bronze at the Junior World Cup last month. This tim around, it is turn of Shivam Shukla, who spoke to Sportskeeda, about his early beginnings, his turning point and more.

Excerpts:

Early beginnings in the sport: Childhood days revolved pretty much around studies. It so happened that my grandfather, who was earlier a coach for the Indian shooting team, also happens to design ranges for shooting. He designed a range, which was 5 minutes away from my home.

He got a pamphlet home and I saw it. I just thought about giving it a try. So I visited the range, gave it a shot and felt good. So my grandfather said that if I wanted to come and practice, I could do so, and so I went to the range, felt interested and hence began shooting from there.

Role model: My grandfather. He has been extremely supportive and has been doing whatever he can for me.

Turning point of his shooting career: Actually, I didn’t think about competing for India until I won the 2015 Nationals where I won three individual golds and two individual silvers. That gave me a lot of confidence. Then at the Junior World Cup in Germany last year, I won six medals. That also was a huge confidence booster for me.

Support from parents: My parents have also been supportive. From the beginning, they have told that if I intended to move in this line, then I can do so They have backed me completely.

The role of junior coaches in his career:They have helped me a great deal. They are responsible for designing our schedules and give us ways by which we can improve our shooting.

Finding the balance between studying and shooting: I finished my 12^th standard this year and the past 12 months have been difficult, with regards to balancing my studies and shooting. I would travel to participate in competitions and I couldn’t join any tuition centers. So I had to study on my own and balance them.

Goals for the remainder of the year: There are trials in Delhi and National Championships in December. My aim is to do well in the Nationals.