Ayushi Podder Biography

When shooters take the rifle and aim it and aim, all important is their target. All else is a blur. The thought of winning a lot of money in their heads, their instincts will trigger. If their years of waking early, working additional hours of training and even sacrificing your favorite foods were worth it is to be decided right now. It is at this point that 19-year-old Ayushi Podder is training for!

Each time Ayushi is shooting, her aim is greater than the "Bullseye" shot. Ayushi aims to get the Podium Finish! Each time she puts her finger on the trigger, she fires the bullet toward her goal of winning an Olympic medal hung on her neck, with the tricolored flag fluttering over her.

Aayushi is a junior rifle shooter , and the newest young sensation in shooting from India to make waves in the field, following Manu Bhaker and Gayathri Nthyanadam, Mehuli Ghosh and others. Born on the 23rd of October, 2000. Aayushi is from Sheoraphuli, Hooghly of West Bengal.

Aayushi's love and passion for shooting stem directly from her dad Pankaj Podder, who himself was an ex- Indian shooter as well as an International Shooting Sport Federation ( ISSF) licensed and qualified coach.

Schooling Days And Sacrificed Dreams

Aayushi was completely dedicated to her studying during her time during her time at Techno Indian Public School. It was surprising that although she had been exposed shooting at a young age, she showed almost any passion for shooting.

At the age of seven, Aayushi was seven years old, she was able to create a portfolio with the hope of becoming an actress or model. She also learned to dance with a Classical Odisha style and participated in school-related events.

In this time of her life, Pankaj used to travel across states to play in matches. Aayushi did not think that one day she'd follow in his path. A very good academic performer, Aayushi wished to study MBBS when she was a teenager.

Start of Shooting Career

Things changed quickly when her father requested her to try shooting. Pankaj spoke about his goal of watching his daughter follow in his steps. "When my child was barely five and a half, I was thinking I could make her the next shot Olympic champion," Pankaj says.

Soon after, she began to train for the sake of her father. In just seven days of being able to hold an air gun, Ayushi had already been a champion at the state level!

"It is my very first time competing which was also my first time being a winner!" she declares, her excitement clearly heard in her voice. Her first major win spurred Junior Podder to take up shooting.

With her father's strong support and support, she was never looking back. As the years passed, Aayushi immersed herself into shooting and discovered with a new passion that she wanted to shed blood for. With her determination and drive in shooting her principal and teachers also began to lend their support to her when she embarked on her new adventure.

However, to be successful in the shooting discipline the perfect shot, an athlete must have the highest concentration. For Ayushi her concentration and focus came effortlessly. This is why she was able to get excellent scores. "I'm excellent at academics. Concentration and focus are essential and these two qualities assisted me shooting quite a bit."

Ayushi has also realized the importance of perfection in both her sporting and personal everyday life. When she was in the beginning of her practicing, she's father told her "Ayushi is the only one who can take a perfect sight image". These words helped her tremendously in her international career. They've been embedded in her brain. "Perfection is essential," she tells.

After becoming the state champion, Ayushi won the pre-national championship in junior-senior youth the month following. Within one calendar year Aayushi was able to secure her spot to participate at the Indian team camp. She was soon a part of the Asian air gun team, and in the following year, she earned her first gold medal in international competition at the ISSF Junior World Cup 2016, Suhl, Germany.

Indian athletes face challenges Indian athletes

Achieving success as an athlete in India is not as easy as it sounds. It's true that Ayushi isn't an exception. The young shooter has plenty of unremarkable stories to share from her travels to various places for competitions. One such incident occurred upon returning from Asian Junior Championship in Doha, Qatar.

Ayushi along with her group been able to land at 5 am on the outskirts of New Delhi from a long and exhausting flight. This is when she finds out that she is scheduled for an 11:00 AM slot to participate in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions event at the All India Inter-University Championship. With a lack of sleep and hunger the young shooter took part in the competition and was able to take home the bronze medal.

After she spoke about this event, Ayushi opened up about her feelings without regret. She doesn't blame her insufficiency of sleep or hunger for her loss. She also does not blame ineffective planning of the organizers.

The moment is now, Aayushi laughs it off. This is an additional addition to the lengthy list of organizational and structural issues athletes have experienced and are facing within the sport's ecosystem in India.

In the World Championship in Changwon, Korea, Ayushi had to endure a gap of eight days from the time she arrived until match day. It was not possible to train during these eight days due to the scheduling of other games. Additionally, her rifle was outdated. This led to a bad experience in the contest.

And to make matters even more difficult Ayushi's father, as well as her coach were unable to accompany her on her travels due to financial problems. This is a common issue facing athletes in India in the present. They are faced with financial pressures to purchase equipment, travel for training, to eat nutritious food and many more.

The balance between shooting and education

Despite having to balance academics with shooting classes and traveling for sporting events, her grade in school didn't drop. After graduation from high school she decided to pursue the field of Humanities which allowed her to concentrate on her the study of her subject and shooting.

Presently, Ayushi Podder is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Public Administration at Punjab University at the same as training and participating in competitions. But, Ayushi believes that it could not have been achieved without the support of her school and the management.

Ayushi has no attendance bar because of her inclusion in the Sports Quota. She can exercise all year long and is only required to sit for tests. In some cases, when competitions or selections conflict with her tests The college schedules specific dates to allow her to take the test.

A one-day in the life Ayushi Podder

As her father did, Ayushi travels a lot. Through all of the time, Ayushi takes part in at minimum ten competitions in her country. In addition, there are trials for selection, and up at least three International competitions each year. Apart from her travels to various competitions, she often goes to Delhi to train in Dr Karni Shooting range. Dr Karni Shooting range, because it's the only shooting range in which she is able to train for the 50-meter categories.

Ayushi must also travel to Chandigarh for university every day. Between training, competitions, and college, she's not in a position to stay at home.

A typical day for the youthful shooter in West Bengal begins at 5.30 morning. She gets up, wakes up and then has a quick warming-up. At 7.30 morning, Aayushi is on the breakfast table. After breakfast, she heads off to train.

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