Tokyo Olympian shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar credits the Khelo India Games for his growth and participation at the Summer Games

Olympian shooter Divyansh Singh Panwar was an unknown name when he first participated at the Khelo India University Games three years ago. Then there in the 10m Air Rifle category, the youngster caught the eyeballs and gradually grew into a phenomenon who went to the Tokyo Olympics.

“It was the start of my journey to Tokyo,” the Olympian Divyansh said at the SAI Shooting Range, on Friday.

The 19-year-old won the Gold medal back in the 2019 ISSF World Cup in Putian in 10m Air Rifle, followed by a Silver medal in the same category in the 2019 Beijing World Cup. He earned the quota for the Tokyo Olympics back in 2019 after his consistent performances at different shooting events and was included in India’s 16-member shooting squad for the Olympics.

“Before appearing at the Khelo India School Games, I had not competed in any major tournaments and had not won any big medals. I was a very unknown player at the time. But it opened up doors for me to reach this level. You have to pick up small victories in life. Only then you can reach the top level,” Divyansh said.

This year again, Panwar decided to return to the place where it all started. He has made a return to the Khelo India University Games. But a lot of things have changed for the young shooter. The 19-year-old who hails from Jaipur, Rajasthan is not participating in the 10m Rifle category which he performed at the Tokyo Olympics. Divyansh has shifted to 50m Rifle three positions.

Just like he started his shooting career at the Khelo India University Games, Divyansh though of testing himself out at the same event as he has changed his category to 50m rifle three positions. So it will be a great event for assessment.

“I decided to participate at the Khelo India University Games 2021 because my journey in 10m Air Rifle shooting also started at the first-ever Khelo India Youth Games. I have recently started competing in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event, and I wanted to start this journey once again at Khelo India. So, if I get a chance to go to the Olympics in this category, I want my journey to start once again from here,” he said.

Lastly, Divyansh shared how the Khelo Indian University Games is a great platform for young talents from different parts of the country to come forward and perform against some of the best talents in the country. He feels that the enormity of the event is so huge that even young kids from remote parts of the country can participate and aspire to be successful in the field of sports.

“Khelo India Games has become the main platform for athletes to make a name for themselves. Athletes coming from remote regions with little to no means can also get an opportunity to perform here and get highlighted. This tournament can open doors for anyone, which they never even thought were possible at one stage, just how it happened for me,” he concluded.