Karnam Malleswari is a retired Indian weightlifter. She is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics in 2000. In 1994, she received the Arjuna Award and in 1999, she received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, India's highest sporting honour, and the civilian Padma Shri award.
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore is an Indian politician, Olympic medallist in shooting and retired colonel in the Indian Army. He is serving as a cabinet minister at the Industry & Commerce, Youth Affairs & Sports Department in the Government of Rajasthan since December 2023. Rathore was a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha from Jaipur Rural seat since 2014 till 2023.
The Khel Ratna Award, officially known as the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award or formerly known as the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, is the highest sporting honour of India. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
The Dronacharya Award, officially known as Dronacharya Award for Outstanding Coaches in Sports and Games, is sports coaching honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after Drona, often referred as "Dronacharya" or "Guru Drona", a character from the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata of ancient India. He was master of advanced military warfare and was appointed as the royal preceptor to the Kaurava and the Pandava princes for their training in military arts and astras. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and are honoured to have done "outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sportspersons to excel in international events" over a period of four years. Two awards are designated for the lifetime contribution in coaching where the achievements in producing "outstanding sportspersons" over a period of 20 years or more are considered. As of 2020, the award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh (US$18,000).
Anjali Bhagwat is a professional Indian sport shooter. She became the World Number One in 10m Air Rifle in 2002. She also won her first World Cup Final in Milan, in 2003, with a score of 399/400.
Nameirakpam Kunjarani Devi is an Indian weightlifter. She is among the most decorated Indian sportswoman in weightlifting.
Gagan Narang is an Indian sport shooter, supported by the Olympic Gold Quest. He won the bronze medal in the Men's 10 m Air Rifle Event at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London with a final score of 701.1 on 30 July 2012. He was also a member of prestigious Padma award committee 2023.
Honorary Captain Vijay Kumar Sharma, AVSM, SM is an Indian sport shooter. He won the silver medal in the individual 25 metre rapid fire pistol event at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Kumar hails from Barsar village of Hamirpur district of Himachal Pradesh and is a retired Subedar Major in the Dogra Regiment Indian Army, who was later promoted to Honorary Captain Rank. Vijay Kumar is supported by the Olympic Gold Quest initiative. He is the only Indian to have won a medal at 25m rapid Fire Pistol. He has been posted at Indian Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) Mhow since 2003 where he is being coached by the Russian Pavel Smirnov.
Manavjit Singh Sandhu is an Indian sport shooter who specializes in trap shooting. He is a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee in 2006 and Arjuna Awardee in 1998. He is a 4 time Olympian, having represented India at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics, Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics the London 2012 Summer Olympics and the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics. He is former World No. 1 ranked Trap Shooter.
Akhil Kumar is an Indian boxer who has won several international and national boxing awards. He practices an "open guarded" boxing style. In 2005, the Indian government gave him the Arjuna Award for his achievements in international boxing. In March 2017, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India, appointed Akhil Kumar along with Mary Kom as national observers for boxing.
Russell Andrew Mark, is an Australian Olympic Champion marksman and world-renowned clay target shooting coach specialising in the disciplines of Olympic Trap and American Trap. Mark is a former World and Olympic Record holder and held the world number one ranking on multiple occasions. He won the gold medal in the Double Trap event at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. He also won a silver medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. Mark competed at six Olympic Games: 1988 (Trap), 1992 (Trap), 1996, 2000, 2008, 2012. The only Australian Summer Olympian to compete in more Olympiads is Andrew Hoy (seven).
The Major Dhyan Chand Award, officially known as Major Dhyan Chand Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports and Games, is the lifetime achievement sporting honour of the Republic of India. The award is named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand (1905–79), a legendary Indian field hockey player who scored more than 1000 international goals during a career which spanned over 20 years from 1926 to 1948. It is awarded annually by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Recipients are selected by a committee constituted by the Ministry and are honoured for their contributions to sport both during their active sporting career and after retirement. As of 2020, the award comprises a statuette, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹10 lakh (US$12,000).
The National Rifle Association of India was founded on 17 April, 1951 with a view to promote and popularize the shooting sports in India as well as for self-defense teaching purposes. The NRAI arranges national-level shooting competitions and the trials that determine which athletes will represent the country in international events. It is also responsible for identifying and nurturing talented shooters who compete in significant global competitions like the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.
Ronjan Sodhi is an Indian Double trap shooter. He won two silver medals at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and a gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games. In 2011, he became first Indian to successfully defend a World Cup title. He is also a recipient of the Arjuna Award and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award (2013).
Bajrang Punia is an Indian politician and a freestyle wrestler. He is a member of the Indian National Congress serving as the Working President of the All India Kisan Congress. Punia joined Congress party along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat in September 2024. In his new role with Congress, Punia is involved in raising the issues of farmers in Haryana as well as in other states.
Deepa Malik is an Indian para athlete from Haryana. She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games. She won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in shot put.
Ankur Mittal is an Indian shooter. He has won gold in Double Trap event at 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships at Changwon, South Korea and a silver medal at the 2017 ISSF World Shotgun Championships at Moscow, Russia. He has received Bheem Award from Haryana State and Arjuna Award from President of India in 2018.
Seema Tomar is an Indian trap shooter. She is the only Indian woman to win shotgun Silver Medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup. She was born in Johri village of Uttar Pradesh.
Ria Rajeshwari Kumari is an Indian sports shooter and fashion designer. Kumari is a trap shooter and has won medals in both domestic and international competitions. She won the silver medal at the Women's trap team event in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. In 2024, competed in the Women's trap event in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. As of 2024, she is the 9th ranked women's trap shooter in the world. Kumari is a co-founder of Saurab Rajeshwari, a luxury Indian clothing and embroidery brand founded in 2021.
