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New Delhi: Manav Aditya Rathore is following in the footsteps of his father Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore.
So much so that the father and son duo is all set to represent India — Manav has been selected in the junior squad while his father is also certain to make the senior squad — in various international tournaments and the Peru World Championships later this year.
For the record, this would be the first time in the history of Indian shooting that a father and son would be donning the India colours together.
The 13-year-old Manav has performed well in the international shotgun events recently, apart from putting up a brilliant show in the trials for the under-21 boys. He finished second in the trials with an average of 100 out of 125 points. The 20-year-old Susheel Sharan of Bangalore came first with an average of 112 points.
“Manav’s biggest advantage is that he is extremely matured,” said a proud Rajyavardhan. “Perhaps, I was not that matured when I was at his age.
“I do guide him at the range… He is very quick to learn from his mistakes. Going by his current progress, he should be able to make the cut for the 2020 Olympics,” hoped Rajyavardhan.
The 2004 silver Olympic medallist also said he never forced his son to take up shooting, informing that the boy initially showed interest in football, only to shift to shooting later.
However, unlike his father, Manav did not chose double trap. Instead, he had started with skeet and then changed to shotgun.
Rajyavardhan, too, is in good form. The star double trapper has won the gold medal in the National Championship recently and scored 139 points in the first trials.
The international shooting competitions this year are in Dubai, Mexico, Cyprus, Italy and Germany. The World championship is in August. Both senior and junior teams take part in these meets.
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