Highlights
- 30-year old Deepak Kumar won the silver medal at the 2018 Jakarta Palembang Asian Games. His unexpected feat bought a lot of cheer in the country.
- The Delhi lad is far from a typical sportsperson. He is a Sanskrit scholar, who practices yoga.
- Working with the Indian Air Force, Deepak is a Sergeant now. He got the opportunity to try shooting at his work.
- His international journey started with World Championships bronze in 2017. Earlier this year, he topped it off with another bronze at the ISSF World Cup.
- Now, with the Asiad silver in his kitty, the spiritual sportsman is all set on to conquer the shooting world!
Shooting has always been India’s strength. Our talented shooters have won accolades in various events like Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. Even in the ongoing Jakarta Asiads, the account has already been opened. Ravi Kumar and Apurvi Chandela won the first medal in shooting, and now Deepak Kumar has added another one to the tally, as a 10m air shooter for India. He won the silver medal in the 10m air rifle mixed team event.
Deepak Kumar is fairly an unknown face. Hence, we decided to dig a little deeper. Let us take a sneak peek into the life of this spiritual sportsman.
Silver-medallist Deepak Kumar at the Asiads
Deepak Kumar -The 10m air shooter
There are some people who are born with a dream and others that discover theirs along the path. Most of the sportsmen and women start young. However, there are others who discover their passion very unexpectedly. Such is the case with India’s newest shooting champion, Deepak Kumar.
Quick Facts
Birth Date: 5 November 1987
Place of Birth: Delhi, India
Sport: Shooting
Event: 10-metre air rifle
Parents: Raj Kumar and Vimla Devi
Coach: Manoj Kumar
Family Background
Deepak Kumar (in white kurta) with his parents Raj Kumar and Vimla Devi and his siblings
Deepak’s parents Raj Kumar and Vimla Devi have always supported him in all his endeavors. His father works in the Delhi tourism department and his mother is a housewife. They both believe that it is important to find your calling in life and gave Deepak the freedom to do so.
“His memory is so sharp that he remembers almost all his scores and scoresheets. A year ago, we had a hawan at home and he recited the shlokas before the priest. He says training is like reciting the shlokas again and again and shooting the same scores, again and again” , his proud mother told the Indian Express.
The soft-spoken and humble Deepak was a very naughty child. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Deepak’s parents wanted him to experience traditional Indian education. They felt that living in the city will not help him gain much-needed focus in life. They sent him to a gurukul in Dehradun.
Early Life and Training
Deepak first started shooting as a student. It was the year 2004. He tried archery as well, but suffered from a lot of injuries. It was during his time with the Air Force that he actually discovered shooting.
Currently, coach Manoj Kumar is training him. Even though Deepak started his shotting career a little late, both the coach and his pupil are sure that he has a long road ahead.
“He is a senior shooter in terms of age and sometimes he did not have belief in his abilities. He has to be told about his strengths.”
Interesting Facts about Deepak Kumar
- Deepak first tried his hand at pistol shooting. Later, he switched to rifle.
- Deepak is employed with the Indian Air Force. He is serving as the Air Force Sergeant right now.
- He is inspired by fellow shooter Jaspal Rana. When Deepak visited Rana’s shooting academy, he was hooked to the sport and decided to take it up professionally.
- Deepak has represented Uttarakhand in archery at the national level competitions.
- Deepak has studied in a Gurukul in Dehradun. He is a Sanskrit master.
- He is very spiritual. During his stay at the gurukul, Deepak studied Vedas, Sanskrit language, and yoga. He believes that this training o over a decade helped him gain focus and motivation.
Journey
Shooter Deepak Kumar in action
2017 – Commonwealth Championships
The Commonwealth Championships of 2017 will always be extremely special for Deepak. He made his mark at the international level by winning a bronze in the 10-meter air rifle event.
2018 – ISSF World Cup
Then, came the ISSF World Cup. In this tournament, he competed with Mehuli Ghosh in the 10-meter air rifle mixed team event.
They both shot 435.1 in the final to bring home the bronze medal. Alin Moldoveanu and Laura-GeorgetaComan from Romania won the silver, whereas the Chinese pair of Xu Hong and Chen Keduo got the yellow metal.
2018 – Asian Games
Deepak Kumar Wins SILVER Medal in 10m Air Rifle for INDIA
The 3rd Medal for INDIA in Asian Games2018 ? #DeepakKumar
Great News To Began A Day pic.twitter.com/OmiNjKp0ux
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi177) August 20, 2018
Deepak captured the imagination of the entire nation by winning the silver in the 10-meter air rifle at the Jakarta Asian Games. He was competing with fellow competitor, Ravi, who is his friend.
“When we are shooting, we do not think of anything. We are deep friends and spend a lot of time together. But this is their own game of everyone”, said Deepak.
Both the athletes are mature him to stay together and train together. It is very heartening to see such a healthy team spirit. This is how the Indian Olympic gold medalist shooter, Abhinav Bindra congratulated Deepak.
Well done Deepak Kumar ! Aggressive shooting ! All the best for Changwon .
— Abhinav Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 20, 2018
Even our President and SAI came forward and congratulated the whole shooting team on their amazing performance on twitter.
Our shooters continue to make us proud! Congratulations to Deepak Kumar and Lakshay Sheoran for winning Silver medals in the men's 10m Air Rifle event and trap shooting respectively at #AsianGames2018. #PresidentKovind
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) August 20, 2018
Meet our champion shooter Deepak Kumar who won silver medal in Men's 10m Air Rifle Event. The entire nation is proud of your achievement. #TOPSAthlete #AsianGames2018 #Shooting #IndiaAtAsianGames @OfficialNRAI @ISSF_Shooting #SAI??? pic.twitter.com/rjP1s3agua
— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) August 20, 2018
Deepak Kumar : Calm and positive
Deepak’s days at the gurukul have truly changed his perspective on life. He believes in sharing his knowledge with others, but he used to be a very short-tempered person earlier. Several instances in early life made him realize how anger is futile. Today, he is calm and composed even at a competition of this magnitude. The Asiad silver is a result of this focus.
It is very heartening to come across an enriched person like Deepak Kumar. He has a positive attitude that will take him a long way. As we congratulate him on his amazing feat, we hope that this is just the beginning of better things. Cheers!
List of Achievements
Asian Games
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
| 2018 | Jakarta-Palembang | 10 m air rifle | Silver |
ISSF World Cup
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
| 2018 | Guadalajara | 10 m air rifle mixed team | Bronze |
Commonwealth Championships
| Year | Place | Event | Medal |
| 2017 | Brisbane | 10 m air rifle | Bronze |
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