Shapath Bhardwaj becomes youngest to figure in TOPS
MEERUT/NEW DELHI: Energetic India shooter Shapath Bhardwaj, aged 15, has become the country’s youngest athlete to figure in the government’s Target Olympic Podium (TOP) scheme.
The Meerut-based Shapath, studying in class 10, is among 45 elite athletes, including Olympic medalists PV Sandhu, Sakshi Malik and Saina Nehwal, to be selected for the ambitious scheme.
TOP Scheme Elite Athletes Identification Committee in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which is chaired by ace shooter and Olympic gold medalist Abhinav Bindra, selected the athletes after evaluating their performance in relation to the international standard.
The Sports Ministry has launched the TOPS with the specific aim of supporting medal prospects for Olympics.
The selected athletes will be provided financial assistance for their customised training at institutes having world class facilities and other necessary support.
Shapath attracted the attention of shooting fraternity when he was selected for India’s double trap team at the age of 14 after selection trails in Patiala in November 2016.
He represented India along with his senior teammates Ankur Mittal and Sangram Dahya in the ISSF World Cup, Delhi in February 2017 and thereafter the ISSF World Cup in Mexico in April 2017 where he secured 10th and 12th ranks respectively. He then secured the fourth position in qualifying round of the ISSF World Cup in Cyprus in May 2017 and topped the 22 shot shoot-off to enter the final where he finished sixth.
He participated in the ninth International Junior Shotgun Cup held in Finland in July and scored 137 out of 150 as India won the gold medal.
He ended up winning the individual as well as team gold in the International Junior Grand Prix in Italy last year.
Shapath will now represent India in the forthcoming ISSF Junior World Cup in Italy and ISSF World Championship in Moscow.