Age And Disability Are No Obstacles For These Gorakhpur Shooters
Ragini Chaudhary is winning medals at a ripe age of 48, while Harshit Singh has overcome disability to make a name for himself
Published : January 11, 2026 at 2:34 PM IST
Gorakhpur: Age and disability can never be an impediment for a talented person with determination. This has been proved by shooters currently participating in ‘Gorakhpur Mahotsav’, that is on till January 13.
Ragini Chaudhary at a ripe age of 48, has won the gold in six national-level events in 10 metres to 30 metres air pistol shooting. On the other hand, Harshit Singh has won seven golds in state and national-level para-shooting events despite being disabled.
Ragini has achieved the feat in just two and a half years of training. This has fueled her enthusiasm for shooting, and she is of the view that if given an opportunity, she will win a medal at the Olympics.
Harshit is disabled in both legs and is currently pursuing graduation. He has been trying his hand at shooting for the past five years. Harshit is currently participating in the trials for the international championships. Impressed by his talent, the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) has signed a contract to support him.
Interestingly, Ragini joined the sport by accident and quickly climbed the ladder of success.
She disclosed, "My daughter was an engineering student sitting idle at home after her final year exams. She wanted to get involved in some activity. Since she was fond of shooting, we got her enrolled in a shooting academy. Meanwhile, she cleared the Common Admission Test (CAT) and joined the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Indore. So, I joined the shooting academy in her place."
She kept improving under the supervision of her coach, Gajendra Rai, and got a chance to win medals in the state and national championships.
Ragini related that her neighbours and family members questioned her ability to shoot at her age, but when she won the gold medal, everyone showered her with love.
Meanwhile, Harshit's father works as a Deputy District Magistrate in the Uttar Pradesh government and did not want disability to have an impact on his son's disability.
"When he was posted in the Meerut Division, he saw many disabled players winning medals in various para sports. He also used to take me to such events," Harshit stated.
He disclosed that he has received full support from his family and has never felt uncomfortable about his disability. His shooting skills have also been honed by Gajendra Rai. He too wants to be a Paralympic champion. He said that when he holds a gun worth Rs 2.5 lakh in his hands and puts in hard labour for four hours, his confidence increases.
Ragini and Harshit are among several other shooters competing in the Gorakhpur Mahotsav. Most of these shooters are coached by Gajendra Rai, who is a former Asian Games gold medallist. He was a member of the Indian team for six years from 2011 to 2017. He trained at Karni Singh Shooting Academy in Delhi affiliated to the Shooting Authority of India.
Rai moved to Gorakhpur after his father's death due to COVID-19. He later established a shooting academy in Gorakhpur that is currently training 95 shooters. His academy can accommodate 13 people at a time and anyone can receive training here by paying Rs 30,000 annually.
His academy has produced medalists at the national level within four years. He said, "Seeing people in a region like Gorakhpur pursuing careers in shooting gives me immense energy.”
Gajendra is a member of Uttar Pradesh State Shooting Association’s Governing Body. He said he was inspired by Ravi Shankar Gupta, a shooter who served as City Magistrate in Gorakhpur in 2015.
He said that several shooters, including Aditya Pratap, Anshika Pandey and Harsh Rai, have won medals at the national and state levels under his coaching.
Also Read
