By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The first shooter from Meghalaya to win a medal in the recently concluded 1st North East Shooting Championship (Zaua Sailo Memorial) 2013, John Thounaojam of Upper Chandmari, Tura was felicitated by Sports Minister Zenith Sangma here on Friday.
The Shooting Association of Meghalaya (SAM) shooter Thounaojam participated in the 10 metre .177 air pistol category and 10 metre indoor shooting range and managed to score 365 points beating Assam to claim the Silver with a comfortable margin. He missed Gold by just two points.
The championship held in Aizawl, Mizoram from March 22-27 was the first shooting championship held exclusively for sports shooters and general shooters from the North East. The event was organised by Mizoram Rifle Association and sponsored by the North Eastern Council (NEC). Around 198 shooters from all over the North East took part in this championship.
Talking to media persons here on Friday, silver medallist Thounaojam stressed on the need to have more training centres as well as good infrastructure including special shooting equipment to give a boost to the sport and open opportunities for the talented youth of the State.
Sports Minister Zenith Sangma congratulated Thounaojam while stating that the requirements put forth by SAM will be looked into and examined by the department.
Narrating his experience in the tournament, Thounaojam said “I had an experience of 5-6 years in shooting but it had been around 7-8 years since I last took to the field so joining this tournament all of a sudden was not an easy thing to do.”
Crediting his long experience for the victory, Thounaojam, who hails from Manipur but is currently settled in Tura for the past many years, said that since hunting is still an art in Meghalaya, it is wise for the government to train ‘interested persons in the discipline’ (shiooting) which is coming up in the country.
Thounaojam represented Meghalaya along with two officials of the Shooting Association of Meghalaya-SAM vice president Bobby Wahlang and general secretary Neil Sootinck.
During the felicitation, the Minister of Sports handed over cheque of Rs. 10000 to the silver medallist on behalf of the SAM. Speaking to reporters later, Sangma said that he will take up the matter of building infrastructure for sports activities in the state during the Sports Minister’s conference in New Delhi from May 24-25.