logo
Shooter Pawanpreet Singh Sekhon hits a silver at WSPS in Serbia

Shooter Pawanpreet Singh Sekhon hits a silver at WSPS in Serbia

Time of India18-07-2025
Ludhiana: Pawanpreet Singh Sekhon, a budding shooter from Ludhiana, won a silver medal at the the World Shooting Para Sport (WSPS) Grand Prix held in Novi Sad, Serbia, from July 1 to 8.
Competing in the .22 calibre 25-metre sports pistol event, he stood out among top contenders from Russia, Serbia, and other European countries.
Pursuing BA at Govt College here, Pawanpreet's international medal is the latest in a string of strong performances. He has previously won medals in several domestic events, in addition to an air pistol event in Serbia last year as well. During the Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan games, he secured a bronze in the 10-metre junior event and another bronze in the 25-metre category.
He later went on to upgrade that to a gold medal in the 25-metre event, along with another bronze in the 10-metre pistol.
At present, Pawanpreet is participating in the national selection trials, aiming to secure a spot in the Indian shooting team. "Right now, my immediate goal is to get selected for the Indian team. Representing India at the Olympics or world championships is a long-term dream, but first I need to earn my place," he said.
His daily routine reflects the discipline that shooting demands. He practices for one-and-a-half hours in the morning and puts in another two hours in the evening. "There's no shortcut in this sport. You have to be mentally sharp and technically consistent every single day," he said.
Although he doesn't idolise any one athlete, Pawanpreet says he found motivation from the autobiography of India's only individual Olympic gold medallist in shooting, Abhinav Bindra.
"Reading Bindra's book was inspiring. You can say that is also one of the reasons for choosing this sport," he said.
Shooting runs in the family for Pawanpreet. His elder brother, Ashpreet Singh Sekhon, is a national-level shooter who has won a silver medal in the 10-metre air rifle category. Ashpreet too has competed in international events, including in Serbia. "I started shooting after watching my brother train.
As a child, I was fascinated by the sport and slowly started learning the basics from him," said Pawanpreet.
His coach, Gurjit Singh, praised the young shooter's dedication and consistent progress. "Pawanpreet is a hardworking and focused shooter. He is steadily improving with every competition. He had earlier won a medal in Serbia too, and this latest silver adds to his growing international record. He is now preparing seriously for the Indian team trials, and we are hopeful of a strong result."
BOX
RISING STAR
Pursuing BA at Govt College here, Pawanpreet Singh Sekhon's international medal is the latest in a string of strong performances
He has previously won medals in several domestic events, in addition to an air pistol event in Serbia last year as well
During the Khedan Watan Punjab Diyan games, he secured a bronze in the 10-metre junior event and another bronze in the 25-metre category. He later went on to upgrade that to a gold medal in the 25-metre event, along with another bronze in the 10-metre pistol
INSPIRATION
He was inspired by the autobiography of India's only individual Olympic gold medallist in shooting, Abhinav Bindra. "It is one of the reasons I chose this sport," Pawanpreet says
SPORT RUNS IN FAMILY
Shooting runs in the family for Pawanpreet. His elder brother, Ashpreet Singh Sekhon, is a national-level shooter who has won a silver medal in the 10-metre air rifle category
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

ENG vs IND: ‘Getting pacers ready for five-Test series after IPL is sometimes an issue,' says Morkel
ENG vs IND: ‘Getting pacers ready for five-Test series after IPL is sometimes an issue,' says Morkel

The Hindu

time13 minutes ago

  • The Hindu

ENG vs IND: ‘Getting pacers ready for five-Test series after IPL is sometimes an issue,' says Morkel

Workload management for fast bowlers during a long series can be a challenge, and India's bowling coach Morne Morkel admitted that with the players featuring in the Indian Premier League (IPL) right before a series, it becomes even tougher. This year's IPL concluded on June 3 and India's first Test in Leeds was from June 20. Though there was a two-and-a-half-week gap, deciding whether to play key players throughout the series or rotate them remained tricky. 'It's a real test. We play three Test match series a lot, and this is now our first time in a while when we've done this with five. It shouldn't be an excuse, but in terms of conditioning, getting our guys conditioned and getting them ready for a five-Test series coming straight up after IPL, is sometimes an issue,' Morkel said on Friday, after a disappointing outing for the Indian bowlers. While it was decided at the start of the series that Jasprit Bumrah would feature in just three matches, Mohammed Siraj took charge and featured in all four games. However, with Arshdeep Singh and Akash Deep out of action, India had to call up young Anshul Kamboj for the fourth Test in Manchester. Morkel believes that going forward, it's important to have a core. 'You have to balance between Test matches, getting these guys a good amount of recovery time, to also keep their bowling loads up. And that's why it's important for us to look at the future and get a good core of five, six bowlers that we can replace and these guys can come in and they can do the job. But at the moment, there's not a lot of experience with the ball,' he said. 'We've got Siraj, we've got Bumrah, who has played a handful in the first, and then Akash has played a little bit, but he's out injured. So, we keep on finding ways to bring new guys,' Morkel said. 'So it is not easy at the moment. This is just a phase that we need now to work through and get these guys stronger, to last for the rest of the Test matches,' said Morkel. He also had no qualms in accepting that the Indian pacers were ordinary on day two before putting up a better performance on Friday. Kamboj, who bowled under 130 kmph, also looked under pressure. 'Unfortunately, there's no place to hide. We support him in the best way we can, through conversations. But it's also for him, it's good learning,' Morkel said. 'And I think everybody in the dressing room is constantly telling him to keep going and supporting him. That's part of international cricket, it's good to get a taste for it and know, moving forward, what he needs to do to play at this level…'

India vs Australia hockey full schedule, dates, time (IST), live streaming
India vs Australia hockey full schedule, dates, time (IST), live streaming

Business Standard

time13 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

India vs Australia hockey full schedule, dates, time (IST), live streaming

India's preparations for the all-important Asia Cup 2025 will get a solid test as the men's hockey team heads Down Under for a four-match series against Australia from August 15 to 21 at the Perth Hockey Stadium. Ranked eighth in the world, India will face sixth-ranked Australia in what promises to be a fiercely competitive bilateral series. The matches are scheduled for August 15, 16, 19, and 21, and will serve not only as a high-level tune-up for the upcoming continental championship in Bihar but also as a chance for key players to make their case for final selection. This series comes just weeks after both sides locked horns in the FIH Pro League 2024–25, where Australia narrowly edged out India 3–2 in both legs. However, India will take confidence from their historic 3–2 win over the Kookaburras at the 2024 Paris Olympics — their first Olympic win over Australia since 1972. While Australia have dominated the head-to-head record in the past decade, winning 35 of their 51 meetings since 2013, the recent games have shown India closing the gap. Chief Coach Craig Fulton has called the tour a 'crucial test', confirming that team selection for the Asia Cup will be finalised during the series. India vs Australia hockey series: Full schedule India vs Australia hockey series: Live streaming and telecast details When will the Indian hockey team's tour of Australia begin? The Indian hockey team's four-match series against Australia will begin on Friday, August 15. What will be the venue for the India vs Australia hockey series? All the matches of the four-match hockey series between India and Australia will be played at the Perth Hockey Stadium. What time will the India vs Australia hockey series matches begin? All the matches of the four-match hockey series between India and Australia will begin at 3:30 PM IST. Where to watch the live telecast of the India vs Australia hockey series? The live telecast details of the India vs Australia hockey series have not been announced yet. The live streaming details of the India vs Australia hockey series have not been announced yet.

Koneru Humpy vs Divya Deshmukh: All you need to know about Chess World Cup final
Koneru Humpy vs Divya Deshmukh: All you need to know about Chess World Cup final

India Today

time13 minutes ago

  • India Today

Koneru Humpy vs Divya Deshmukh: All you need to know about Chess World Cup final

History will be made on Saturday, 26 July, as the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 kicks off with an all-Indian showdown between Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy. This marks the first time ever that two Indian players will face each other in the final of the prestigious a rest day on Friday, 25 July, the final match will feature two Classical games, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday (26–27 July). If the scores are tied, tiebreaks will be held on Monday, 28 secured her spot by defeating former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the semifinals with a powerful performance in Game 2. Humpy, one of India's most decorated chess players, displayed nerves of steel throughout the knockout stages. She edged out China's Tingjie Lei in a dramatic tiebreaker on Thursday after a 3-3 deadlock, dominating the blitz segment to seal her place in the Read: India to host Chess World Cup 2025 in October-NovemberEarlier, Humpy was taken to tie-breaks in the pre-quarterfinals by Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk, herself a former world champion. She then delivered a clinical performance against Yuxin Song, setting the stage for what was arguably her finest moment—outplaying top seed Lei in the five-minute her wealth of experience and recent momentum, Koneru Humpy enters the final as the favourite. But 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh has proven she can take down giants, and will be looking to script a fairytale finish to her Control for Classical games:Each player has 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the remainder of the game. A 30-second increment per move begins from move Format:Two rapid games: 10 minutes + 10-second increment per moveIf still tied: Two games of 5 minutes + 3-second incrementIf still tied: Two blitz games of 3 minutes + 2-second incrementIf still tied: Additional 3+2 blitz games will be played until a winner is determinedWhat's the prize money for the Chess World Cup final?Winner: USD 50,000 (approx. Rs 43.23 lakh)Runner-up: USD 35,000 (approx. Rs 30.26 lakh)Where to watch the Chess World Cup final in India?There is no live telecast of the Chess World Cup final. Live Streaming of the match will be available on the FIDE YouTube to watch the Chess World Cup final in India?The match will start at 4:30 PM IST, 7 AM Eastern Time.- Ends

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store