It was only four months ago that she shifted to .177 peep sight air rifle, which is more complex than traditional open notch rear sight.
But, Elizabeth Olga Merandez, a promising young shooter, managed to win gold in the team championship and came second in the Champion of Champions competition after putting up strong challenges against Elizabeth Soosan, an international shooter, in the state championship held in Palakkad last year.
Elizabeth Olga Merandez, a first year BCom student at Providence College, Kozhikode, was attracted to the shooting sport during her affiliation with NCC at Nadakkavu Girls HSS. In the NCC Thal Sainik Camp held in Delhi in 2009, the Kerala team clinched the title in shooting and she played a key role in the win. Later, in the National Shooting Championship in Delhi in 2012, she bagged silver and bronze medals in the peep sight rifle events. P K Sajeevan, chief instructor of the Kozhikode District Rifle Association, motivated her to change her track to peep sight air rifle for aiming high in the sport as there are no competitions for open sight rifle event other than the state championship. According to him, Elizabeth, a two-time state champion in open sight, is a talented shooter and will prove her mettle in the upcoming South Zone Shooting Championship to be held in Thodupuzha in November.
Like all shooters, the young girl also eyes a berth in the national team, and an Olympics medal. “Definitely, my ultimate aim is to represent India in the Olympic Games. My family comprising father Federik Merandez, an estate supervisor, mother Lissy Thomas, a physical education teacher with Presentation HSS in the city and sister Soosan Avril Merandez, a school teacher, and the Kozhikode District Rifle Association authorities always motivate me to attain higher laurels”, says Elizabeth, who is concentrating on practice for the upcoming South Zone Championship.
“Though I have no role models in the sport, I love all shooting stars - Abhinav Bindra, Anjali Bhagwat, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Gagan Narang and all others, she says.
For the shooters at the KDRA shooting range at Thondayadu in the city, there is only one air rifle of international standard for training purpose.
However, impressed by the stunning show of Elizabeth in the last state championship, Jacob, an official with the Kozhikode Rifle Association, donated his weapon for her preparations for the national competitions. Aiming the rifle towards the bull’s eye, a confident Elizabeth says, “I will earn an O l y m p i c medal for the country”.