Sports News | This Will Probably Be My Last National Championship: Olympic Medallist Vijay Kumar
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar on Thursday said the 67th National Shooting Championship will probably be his last competitive tournament, ending his long association with the event.
New Delhi, Dec 12 (PTI) Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar on Thursday said the 67th National Shooting Championship will probably be his last competitive tournament, ending his long association with the event.
Vijay won a silver in 25-metre rapid fire pistol competition at the 2012 London Olympics.
"This will be my 23rd national championship and probably be my last competitive one as I am planning to stop competitive training and shift to coaching.
"I might continue to participate in national-to-national competition to remain in touch with the sport but I am planning to stop competitive shooting," said the London Games medal winner.
Vijay is already doing private coaching and has mentored many shooters in the Indian Army.
Sharing his future plans, he said, "I want to guide and inspire the younger generation. My goal is to share the knowledge and insights I've gained over the years with them, and help develop the skills necessary to compete at the international level, excel in the competitive arena, and ultimately bring pride to our country."
Talking about the record number of participants and the legacy he is leaving behind, he said, "Of course I feel proud of the progress we've made.
"If we look back, there were only around 400-500 participants, but now, we have over 13,000, which is a record number. This surge in numbers means that more talented individuals are emerging, and I am confident that it will result in more medals for our country at the Olympics."
A total of 40 teams will be represented at the 67th shooting nationals including almost all states and union territories as well as those representing the armed forces and public institutions like the ONGC and the Railways.
All top shooters of the country will be participating in the nationals, and there scores will be counted when the Indian team for the 2025 international season is chosen.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)