India’s teenage shooting sensation Saurabh Chaudhary donated the pistol with which he had won the gold medal the just-concluded Youth Olympics in Argentina to be a part of Olympic Museum in Switzerland, coach Jaspal Rana said on Friday.
Rana, who is the national coach for the junior shooters, said Chaudhary donated the pistol on the request of the International Olympic Committee.
“Saurabh donated the pistol to IOC as requested by the IOC staff in Argentina to be kept at Olympic headquarters in Switzerland (at Lausanne),” Rana told PTI on Friday.
World Junior, Asian Games and Youth Olympic Games air pistol shooting champion Saurabh Chaudhary may just be 16 but he has donated his air pistol to @iocmedia to showcase it in it its headquarters in Lausanne. Photo and information courtesy: @jaspalrana2806 #Delight #Legacy pic.twitter.com/dybYfkAXBg
— G Rajaraman (@g_rajaraman) October 19, 2018
“He was more than happy if his pistol becomes a part of Olympic Museum,” he added.
The 16-year-old clinched the gold medal in the 10m air pistol event at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires on October 10.
He shot 244.2 to ensure a finish on top of the podium ahead of South Korea’s Sung Yunho by 7.5 points (236.7). Switzerland’s Solari Jason stood third with 215.6.
Before that, he become the junior world champion with a record score of 245.5 in Changwon, Korea.
But his biggest triumph was the gold at the Asian Games in Indonesia, beating a field of veterans in a stunning final on his senior debut for India.