The first time Aashima Ahlawat dreamed of becoming a shooter, she was sitting in front of a television. She was a Class XII student, had no sporting background and had never held a shotgun. But watching Indian shooters win medals at the 2018 Asian Games made her want to try the sport herself. Four years later, that television inspiration has turned into an Asian Games silver medal.
The 28-year-old from Rohtak, a Delhi University student and an alumna of Lady Shri Ram College, has returned from Aichi-Nagoya with a silver in the women’s trap team event alongside Neeru Dhanda and Manisha Keer. Now, with one major medal already in her bag, she has set her sights on an Olympic quota.
“I really wanted to start shooting as well,” she told The Tribune. But Ahlawat had one priority before she could step onto a shooting range, getting into her “dream college”. She waited until after Class XII before taking up the sport in 2021.
Her first experiment was with pistol shooting. Then came a suggestion that changed the course of her sporting career.
Sangram Singh Dahiya, who had competed in double trap, suggested she try trap because he felt the discipline would suit her personality.
“He suggested that I should try trap because he felt it would suit my personality. I tried a couple of shots in trap and really liked it. That’s how I started trap shooting,” she told the correspondent.
The decision was hardly an obvious one. Nobody in her family was involved in sport and some relatives were convinced that she had begun too late.
“Many people in my family would say that I was wasting my time. They would say that I had started quite late and that there was no point in pursuing it,” she said.
There was, however, one person who refused to see it that way, her mother. “She said, ‘Let her do what she wants to do. If she does something against her own wishes, she won’t be successful anyway,’” Ahlawat recalled.
Her mother’s faith has now been rewarded with an Asian Games medal. “I always wanted to make it to the Asian Games team, and my goal was always to win a medal. So, when I got selected, I was extremely happy that I had made it,” she said.
Ahlawat said she entered the Games confident, having been in good form. The coaches also tried to keep the pressure away from the shooters.
“They told us, ‘You don’t even have to give 200 per cent. Just give 95 per cent. Don’t overdo anything, and everything will fall into place,’” she said.
The calm, however, became harder to maintain on the final day. Three medals were at stake and India was sitting third. Rainy conditions added another layer of uncertainty.
“The last day was extremely stressful because three medals were at stake and we were already in third position, so all of us had to perform well. We performed under that pressure,” she said.
When the medal finally came, her mother was the first person Ahlawat called.
“I called my mother first and told her that we had won the silver medal. She was extremely happy,” she said.
Ahlawat says DU, particularly LSR, also played an important role in allowing her to pursue both academics and sport. The college accommodated her attendance and even allowed her to appear for examinations when they clashed with competitions.
Congratulating her, DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Yogesh Singh said, “Her success has brought prestige to both India and the University of Delhi.” He said such achievements inspire aspiring athletes.
