Veteran shooter Mairaj Ahmad Khan scripted history by winning the nation’s first-ever gold medal in skeet shooting at the ISSF World Changwon.
Another feather was added to the wings of Mairaj Khan, the oldest member of the Indian contingent in Changwon.
The 46-year-old from Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh’, shot 37 to win men’s skeet gold at the ISSF – International Shooting Sports Foundation, becoming the first Indian to conquer this entitlement.
Apart from winning gold, he has many first and gold stars under his name that have made the country proud with his accomplishments.
With a focus on the target and sheer determination, Mad4India brings the success story of Mairaj Ahmad Khan. The man who woke India with a piece of good news by winning skeet gold, thus creating history.
Mairaj Khan Wins Skeet Gold
Hailing from Khurja, District Bulandshahar in Uttar Pradesh, Mairaj Ahmad Khan is an Indian professional shooter in the shotgun skeet discipline born on 2 November 1975.
Coming from a shooter’s family, his love for shooting grew when his uncle introduced it to him. The passion slowly brewed into a profession. Surprisingly Mairaj Khan comes from a family of skeet. His brother is also a shooter but chooses to look after his family. It was only after college that he finally started focussing on shooting in 1998.
There were many memorable moments at the ISSF World Cup, but the day belonged to Khan. In the final, he recorded 37 hits out of a possible 40 to win gold. Minsu Kim of South Korea won silver with 36 hits, while Ben Llewellin of the United Kingdom took bronze with 26.
Apart from winning skeet gold at the International Shooting Sports Foundation, India also won two bronze medals in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions team event.
Gold Star In Every Way
Before making the nation proud by becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal, the two-time Olympian Maharaja Ahmad Khan has a Nobel history in winning and toasting medals.
For many, it may seem easy inclining your head, squinting your eyes to the target, and clicking the barrel of the shotgun, but only Khan knows how he has worked hard to become the first Indian shooter in the skeet event at the ISSF World Cup held in Changwon, South Korea.
He is the first and only Indian to hold the World Cup title and an Olympic quota for India, a feat he accomplished by winning the Silver Medal at the 2016 ISSF World Cup Championship in Rio as well as a quota spot for the shotgun skeet event at the 2016 Olympics.
Before the Skeet moment, he was also the first Indian athlete to represent India in the SK125 Event during the Rio Olympic Games.
Mairaj Khan has an impressive history of winning the tournament and winning the hearts of Shooting shotgun in skeet discipline. He has contributed to India at an international level in the sport of Skeet and won many awards and medals. From Commonwealth Shooting Championship, Asian Championships, South Asian Federation, and National and International Championships
Now for many, one may get confused about what is skeet? Skeet shooting is an activity where participants using shotguns attempt to break the target.
It is a sport that requires utmost attention and sheer grit of focus to win the sport.
Mairaj Ahmad Khan is ranked 6th in Asia and 10th in the world for his credibility. Keeping in the same line, he wishes to train upcoming young talented students who are keen on skeet shooting through the MAK Shooting Foundation.
India is a country full of talents, from sports to start-ups. It has proved how immersed Indians can be when showcasing their talents.
Mairaj Ahamd Khan became the first Indian to create history by winning gold in skeet shooting and, thus inscribed a new front amongst the youngsters. Mad4India wishes to see more sports enthusiasts embarking themselves higher.
Sources of information – Wikipedia & The Times of India
To know more about Mairaj Khan, please check – Wikipedia, Instagram, Twitter
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Great information shared.. really enjoyed reading this post thank you author for sharing this post .. appreciated