India’s Jitu Rai has been awarded the ‘Champion of Champions‘ title for pistol shooting in 2016, by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF). Despite an underwhelming Olympic campaign, the 29-year old was awarded the honour for his exceptional performances in the international circuit, over the past six months. The Army man won two World Cup events in Bangkok and Maribor
respectively. A total of five podium positions and nine top-eight finishes catapulted Jitu to world number 6 in the rankings, prior to the Rio Olympics.
However, an eighth-place finish thwarted an otherwise perfect calendar year for the Uttar Pradesh shooter. Silver medal finishes in Baku, Granada and Bologna made him the only Indian competing for the World number 1 spot in 2016.
The National Rifle Authority of India (NRAI), along with shooter Abhinav Bindra, recently published a report highlighting the reasons for Indian shooting’s disappointing performance in Rio. The report specifically claimed that Jitu Rai did not get access to the right expertise, that could push him onto the podium.
The ISSF pistol shooting season is officially over with Jitu ending the calendar year ranked sixth (10 m pistol) and seventh (50 m pistol). This makes him the only Indian shooter in the world top 10.
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