Rohtak girl shoots 2nd Asian medal in two days

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, November 9

Rifle shooter Kajal Saini from Rohtak made the state proud yet again on Saturday by clinching another medal in a team event during the ongoing Asian Shooting Championship in Doha (Qatar).

Kajal along with Tejaswini Sawant and Nithyanadam Gaayathri won a bronze in the 50-m rifle three position team event on Saturday. On Friday, Kajal had won gold in the prone position event.

“There was a lot of pressure on me as my family members and coach were expecting a similar show from me today as well. I played my natural game and a good performance by the team helped us clinch the medal. The event was vital for getting the Tokyo Olympics quota. Senior player Tejaswini played marvelously and won the quota for us,” Kajal told The Tribune over the phone from Doha.

Owing her success to her parents and coach Manoj Kumar, she said they had always motivated me to play my natural game without any pressure. “Their motivation has helped me a lot in winning the medals in this championship,” Kajal added.

Vijay Saini, father of Kajal, said festival-like atmosphere prevailed in their house following her achievement. “Another good thing of today’s success is that India has won the Olympic quota in the 50-m three position event for which rifle shooters had been toiling hard since a long time,” Saini added.

Meanwhile, Kajal’s mother Sunita Saini said her daughter’s medal winning performance had given them another opportunity to cheer. “We are overjoyed by Kajal’s success as she had missed the chance to win a medal from a close margin in some previous global tournaments,” she added.

Coach Manoj Kumar, who is with her in Doha, said Kajal was a promising player and hope that she would continue her winning spree in the coming tournaments too.

I played my natural game and a good performance by the team helped us clinch the medal. The event was vital for getting the Tokyo Olympics quota, which we won. I owe my success to my parents and my coach.       Kajal Saini, Rifle shooter