Akash Kumar Ravidas

Ranchi, Aug. 31: Akash Kumar Ravidas is not as lucky as Abhinav Bindra to either have a shooting range or bullets of his own. Yet, he is the golden ray of hope for the state.

The 20-year-old NCC cadet from Hazaribagh won a gold and bronze in the .22 rifle events at the ninth Kumar Surendra Singh National Shooting Championship in Indore from August 26 to 30.

He won the gold in the .22 rifle in the prone position, scoring 583 out of 600 points. He won the bronze in the three position in 50m in .22 rifle shooting, scoring 1,120 out of a total 1,200 points, said S.M. Thakur, the secretary of Jharkhand Rifle Association (JRA).

This is Akash’s third such achievement at the national level. Akash established his shooting credentials by winning gold in the individual event in .22 rifle shooting, and silver in the team event at the Asian Shooting Championship in Kuwait last December.

For the last three years, he has been winning medals at national meets. “His consistency is impressive and we are sure he would win a gold for the state at the 34th National Games,” said Thakur.

Akash comes from a poor family and cannot afford to, and does not, own his own weapon. “Somehow, his determination has seen him through with help from the NCC,” Thakur said.

From next year, however, he will not be an NCC cadet and would thus be deprived of any assistance, Thakur said.

The state government was yet to issue it the licence for .22 weapons and bullets. “We last submitted our application to the home secretary on August 14. Before that for six months, we met the arms magistrate several times, yet the licence has not been issued,” he said.

He explained: “The association cannot but be a helpless watcher if the licence is not issued. It would pain all of us to see such a talent go waste for want of proper equipment and practice facilities.”

“Akash’s case is a good example to prove how much the state cares for its sporting talents,” said a sports official.