Personality of the month


Personality of the month: October 2004 www.nihindia.org Rajyavardan Singh Rathore: Athens Olympics-2004 Silver Medal Winner Indians are considered intelligent, hard-working (especially outside their own country), good looking and glib (if Miss Universes are being considered) and mathematical wizards and witches in different parts of the world. But an area where we have failed to make even slightest impact is sports. We shiver in snow, faint in sun, start drowning in water when we swim and so on and so forth. And therefore when some makes a mark in sports it's a cause for joyous celebration. This Olympics at Athens we would have an encore une fois feeling of deja-vu returning with an empty basket of medals but for Rajyavardan Singh Rathore. He was the only silver lining in our cumulus of Indian contingent that participated in Athens wherein he managed to secure the silver medal in shooting event. Earlier archers and shooters lost their nerves at big events but Rathore managed to begin with a bang and end with bang. A country that thinks sports is equivalent to wasting time and resources should produce him is nothing short of a mutant, a freak (though welcome one) in a population of over one billion. Did it come easy? Or was it a pure stroke of luck? Decide for yourself as I enumerate the achievements of this man over the course of five years (Yes! he catapulted to this crowning glory in just five years). World Cup, New Delhi, 2000: 5^th Asian Shooting Championships, Bangkok, 2001: 4th Asian Shooting Championships, Bangkok, 2002: 5^th World Cup Final, Rome, 2003: 7^th World Cup, Granada, 2003: 4^th World Championship, NICOSI, 2003: Bronze World Cup, New Delhi, 2003: Bronze World Cup, Sydney, 2004: Gold Asian Shooting Championships, New Delhi, 2003: Gold Asian Shooting Championships, Kuala Lumpur, 2004: 6th Silver Medal at Olympics, Athens, 2004 The climb to perfection has been steady and rapid and has revealed his ability to take the disappointments in his stride. He serves as desirable exception for Indians who has gained the reputation of choking at crucial moments. This man had taken his leisurely talent seriously only in 2000. A year before he was shooting the enemies in the Kargil war. He is only the fourth Indian to win an individual medal and the first shooter ever. For those interested in his bio-data- Date of Birth: 29 JAN 1970 Height: 1.82 m / 6'0" Olympic event: Shooting (men’s double trap) Place of birth: Jaisalmer, India Weight: 80 kg / 176 lbs Nickname: Chilly. (Athlete 20/09/99) Hobbies: Listening to music, hunting and most sports, especially boxing, basketball, golf and polo (ISSF 13/02/04, Athlete 20/09/99) Occupation: Athlete Education: Bachelor of Arts - National Defence Academy: Pune, Maharashtra, India Marital Status: Married Language Spoken: Hindi and English Handedness: R Injuries: Has suffered a patella fracture and a prolapsed disc. Additional Information: Started shooting at the age of 28. Why this sport? Because he had the opportunity. Most influential person in career: His mother and his wife. Tej Pareek and Moloy Goswami tpareek@nidcr.nih.gov goswamim@mail.nih.gov

Personality of the month: October 2004 www.nihindia.org

Rajyavardan Singh Rathore:

Athens Olympics-2004 Silver Medal Winner

Indians are considered intelligent, hard-working (especially outside their own country), good looking and glib (if Miss Universes are being considered) and mathematical wizards and witches in different parts of the world. But an area where we have failed to make even slightest impact is sports. We shiver in snow, faint in sun, start drowning in water when we swim and so on and so forth. And therefore when some makes a mark in sports it's a cause for joyous celebration. This Olympics at Athens we would have an encore une fois feeling of deja-vu returning with an empty basket of medals but for Rajyavardan Singh Rathore. He was the only silver lining in our cumulus of Indian contingent that participated in Athens wherein he managed to secure the silver medal in shooting event. Earlier archers and shooters lost their nerves at big events but Rathore managed to begin with a bang and end with bang. A country that thinks sports is equivalent to wasting time and resources should produce him is nothing short of a mutant, a freak (though welcome one) in a population of over one billion. Did it come easy? Or was it a pure stroke of luck? Decide for yourself as I enumerate the achievements of this man over the course of five years (Yes! he catapulted to this crowning glory in just five years).

World Cup, New Delhi, 2000: 5^th
Asian Shooting Championships, Bangkok, 2001: 4th
Asian Shooting Championships, Bangkok, 2002: 5^th
World Cup Final, Rome, 2003: 7^th
World Cup, Granada, 2003: 4^th
World Championship, NICOSI, 2003: Bronze
World Cup, New Delhi, 2003: Bronze
World Cup, Sydney, 2004: Gold
Asian Shooting Championships, New Delhi, 2003: Gold
Asian Shooting Championships, Kuala Lumpur, 2004: 6th
Silver Medal at Olympics, Athens, 2004

The climb to perfection has been steady and rapid and has revealed his ability to take the disappointments in his stride. He serves as desirable exception for Indians who has gained the reputation of choking at crucial moments. This man had taken his leisurely talent seriously only in 2000. A year before he was shooting the enemies in the Kargil war. He is only the fourth Indian to win an individual medal and the first shooter ever. For those interested in his bio-data-

Date of Birth: 29 JAN 1970
Height: 1.82 m / 6'0"
Olympic event: Shooting (men’s double trap)
Place of birth: Jaisalmer, India
Weight: 80 kg / 176 lbs
Nickname: Chilly. (Athlete 20/09/99)
Hobbies: Listening to music, hunting and most sports, especially boxing, basketball, golf and polo (ISSF 13/02/04, Athlete 20/09/99)
Occupation: Athlete
Education: Bachelor of Arts - National Defence Academy: Pune, Maharashtra, India
Marital Status: Married
Language Spoken: Hindi and English
Handedness: R
Injuries: Has suffered a patella fracture and a prolapsed disc.
Additional Information: Started shooting at the age of 28.
Why this sport? Because he had the opportunity.
Most influential person in career: His mother and his wife.

Tej Pareek and Moloy Goswami

tpareek@nidcr.nih.gov goswamim@mail.nih.gov