Vaishnavee Srinivasan, third-year BTech student of Computer Science and Engineering, made Amrita proud by winning seven medals at the 38th Tamil Nadu State Shooting Championship.

The event was conducted during August 15-19, 2012 at the Madurai Rifle Club, barely a week after the London Olympics, where Vijay Kumar (Silver Medalist in 25 metre rapid fire pistol event) and Narang Gagan (Bronze Medalist in 10 metre air rifle) stole the thunder.

“The main challenge, in my opinion, for a contestant, is to avoid distractions and concentrate fully on shooting,” stated Vaishnavee.

“I believe in competing with myself, rather than with fellow contestants. In each competition, I aim at scoring more points than the previous competitions. This way, I don’t have to worry about the other participants,” she emphasized.

She won two gold medals in the 10 metre peep sight air rifle for junior and senior categories, four silver medals in 10 metre and 50 metre peep sight prone and a bronze medal in 50 metre peep sight 3 position.

The event saw over 350 contestants from all over the state of Tamil Nadu, participate. Sanjay Mathur, Commissioner of Police and President of the Madurai Rifle Club, inaugurated the championship meet.

Vaishnavee will participate next in the All India Shooting Championship 2012 in the Junior Category. She will also be representing Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in the All India Inter University Shooting Championship, which is scheduled to be organized at Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, during January 2013.

Till date, Vaishnavee has grabbed honors in 21 national-level and 30 state-level competitions.

As a member of the Coimbatore Rifle Club, she practices for an hour on weekdays and four hours during weekends and other holidays.

“Constant support from senior shooters at the club helps me correct my mistakes. I also regularly meditate; it helps in improving my concentration,” she shared.

“In 2007, I attended a summer coaching camp at the club and won the gold medal in the competition at the end of the camp. This was when I first became interested in the sport,” she explained.

“The Indian shooters who have recently won medals at the Olympics have helped boost my confidence, as well. Their achievements make me believe that I too, can make it big at the world level,” she added.

But Vaishnavee has a unique outlook, and any pressures of performing at international events do not daunt her.

“I stay calm and never worry about the results. I work for self satisfaction. This helps me overcome fear. I believe this is why I perform well.”

Amrita congratulates Vaishnavee for her achievements and wishes her the best of luck, so that she may continue to excel.

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November 6, 2012
School of Engineering, Coimbatore