Rudrankksh Patil - the only bright spot in shooting

Rifle shooter Rudrankksh Patil's success story has been the only standout event in an otherwise sedate year for marksmen, where they even missed the high of the Commonwealth Games after the sport was given a short shrift by the Birmingham organisers.

The 10m air rifle exponent from Maharashtra conquered the field in Cairo to emerge world champion with the added bonus of an Olympic quota place, and has now emerged as a hot contender to emulate 2008 Beijing Olympics champion Abhinav Bindra's feat in 2024 Paris Games. The bespectacled Bindra and double-trap marksman Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore -- silver medallist at the 2004 Athens Games -- have been icons when it comes to setting the standards for youngsters to follow.

The year 2022 was no different with the likes of teenage 10m air rifle marksman Rudrankksh, Bhowneesh Mendiratta (trap) and Swapnil Kusale (50m rifle three-positions) securing quota places for the country for the Paris Games.

Post the Tokyo debacle, a few fresh faces were needed to lift the gloom. And that came in the form of Rudrankksh. The Thane marksman, who turned 19 a few days back, has come as a breath of fresh air, quite like Bindra. He was inspired by Bindra's gold in Beijing and seems to be in the same mould as the illustrious Punjab shooter -- committed, ambitious and hungry for the ultimate prize. Son of an IPS officer, Rudrankksh has virtually cut his interaction with the world outside and is concentrating with the single-minded approach of winning the Olympic gold.