He is not Indian by birth, but his phenomenal feats have given the nation many a reason to rejoice in pride. A historic gold at the World Cup, a record triumph at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, a Rio Olympics quota berth, and now Jitu Rai is an Asian Games gold medallist too, at Incheon. All in a span of a few months. Moreover, he has returned with a medal from every competition he has participated in this season, his first major international year.
Certainly, the Nepal-born shooter is reaping the rewards of hard work and sacrifices over the years. “Whatever I have achieved in shooting is because of the Indian Army. I owe my success to many of my seniors, my coach Garvaraj Rai in Lucknow, who supported me during my ups and downs,” Rai, a junior commissioned officer in the Gorakhpur-based 11th Gorkha Regiment, said, from Indore.
Returning from the Incheon Games, Rai — who won the men’s 50m pistol event besides bagging a team bronze in the 10m air pistol — was exhausted but still hungry for medals. For him, there was hardly any time to celebrate the success as he is now gunning for a medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “My hard work has paid off. It (the Asian Games) was the toughest competition I have ever faced. But I am happy that I could give India a gold,” he said of the Incheon show. The 27-year-old, who has three golds, three silvers and a bronze this season, wants to emulate the feats of fellow armyman Vijay Kumar, a silver medallist at the 2012 London Olympics. “Vijay Sir is my idol. I want to make my country proud like him.”
India’s only individual Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra is another inspiring figure for the soft-spoken shooter from Sankhuwasabha district in Nepal. Hailing from a family of farmers, Rai’s introduction to shooting happened only after he shifted his base to India in 2006, when he joined the Army following in the footsteps of his father. But the journey to glory was not easy. He was sent back twice from the Mhow-based Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU), where he trains now, because of poor performance.
“But I didn’t lose heart and took it as a challenge. I worked harder,” said Rai, who finally made the Army’s shooting squad last year. Since 2008, he had been representing Uttar Pradesh at the national level, and he bagged his first medal — a bronze — at the 2010 nationals. There has been no looking back. “As a teenager, I was an active sportsperson. I used to represent my district in volleyball and high jump. But never thought that I would land up as a competitive shooter. May be this is something I have got from my father who was also in the Army,” chuckled Rai.
The historic 10m air pistol gold at the Maribor World Cup will always remain close to Rai’s heart. “That moment on the podium was special. I had put in lot of effort for that. The gold actually was a stepping stone for my achievements at the CWG and Asian Games,” said the 10m pistol world No 1. “Before that I used to excel in the qualifications, but tumble in the finals. It taught me how to hold my nerves in a pressure situation.” In his free time, Rai — nicknamed Pistol King — loves to listen to Hindi and Nepali songs. He also has a collection of old classics by Rafi and Lata Mangeshkar.
A tenth standard pass, Rai wants children from his native village to be well-educated. “Sometimes, I feel like getting myself enrolled in college, but it will be tough. I have to devote time to my job and shooting. But, I want to donate whatever cash I earn to a school in my village. I want to see the children educated, which I was unable to do due to financial constraints,” he says. “I miss my home, village and Nepal. But I am happy I am able to do something for the Indian Army. Had my father been alive, he would have been proud,” added an emotional Rai.
The shooter doesn’t believe in setting long-term goals. “I don’t think about where will I be or what would I do after five years. I like to set short-term goals. And for me, my immediate target is to do well at the World Cup Finals in Azerbaijan later this month,” he informed. Rai will be making his maiden appearance in the finals, and who knows he may be on his way to creating another bit of history.
