THRISSUR: The apple, as the adage goes, does not fall far from the tree and Ria Rajeshwari Kumari provided enough proof to back up that theory on Monday.
The daughter of six-time Olympian and former Indian Olympic Association general secretary Randhir Singh shot down a silver medal in the Women’s Trap event, just as her father had done 51 years ago as an 18-year-old.
The icing on the cake was that she also bettered the Games record in the process.
“My father’s first National Games medal was a silver in 1964 and it’s great to have emulated him. Breaking the games record makes it all the more sweeter,” Ria told TNIE.
The 22-year-old started her shooting career and has made giant strides in a short period, winning the bronze medal at the National Shooting Championships in New Delhi. But Ria maintains that it was always obvious she would end up as a shooter. “I knew that I was going to shoot professionally at a very young age. It was always the obvious thing to do. I am happy that I am delivering consistently at the national stage,” she said.
If there was one person happier than her on Monday, it was her father! “I am very happy. She is proving how good she is and in a couple of years, she should be in top international form. I won my first national medal at the National Games in Kolkata and I went on to represent India for more than three decades. I hope she does the same,” he told TNIE. Randhir feels that younger shooters like Ria have a tougher climb to the top. “We used to get a feel of the weapons at a very young age, because we used to go hunting. But today’s youngsters don’t have that,” he said.