Om Prakash Mitharval became only the second Indian to win two medals at the ongoing Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, after winning two bronze medals.
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Mitharval, the 22-year-old won the bronze in the 50 metre air pistol event on Wednesday, adding to the one that he won in the 10 m air pistol earlier this week. Heena Sidhu is the only other Indian athlete in Gold Coast to have won two medals.
At the International Sport Shooting World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, Mitharval teamed up with teenage shooting sensation Manu Bhaker to win the 10 metre air pistol team gold, his first at a major international event.
Hailing from Sihodi, Rajasthan, Mitharval trains at the Army Marksmanship Unit in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. Mitharval came into the spotlight after winning the silver in the 50 metres pistol event at the nationals in December 2015.
The shooter from Rajasthan then went onto win the team gold at both the senior and junior nationals. Prior to joining the army in 2013, Mitharval didn’t have a history of shooting behind him, only taking up the sport two years prior to enlistment.
The youngster has credited a lot of his shooting acumen to Jitu Rai, who he beat in the 50 m air pistol event on Wednesday, and has said that Rai’s work ethic has rubbed off on him.
