Kolhapur (Maharashtra) [India], September 20 (ANI): Following Sonam Maskar's silver medal win at the ongoing Asian Games, her coach Rohit Prakash Hawaldar reflected on the shooter's journey at his academy and the sacrifices her parents made for her sport despite financial difficulties.
Sonam Maskar teamed up with Elavenil Valarivan and Vidarsa Kochalumkal Vinod to win the silver medal in the women's 10 m air rifle team event, opening India's medal tally at the Asian Games.
Speaking after her win to ANI, coach Rohit Prakash said, "I am the coach at the Vedh Rifle and Pistol Shooting Academy. Sonam was with us from 2021 to 2024 and started her basic shooting journey with us. Right from the beginning, in our state qualifying and national qualifying matches, she performed extremely well. Based on that, we spoke with her parents and convinced them that she has a bright future, asking them to support her."
Rohit said that despite financial issues, her father gave a lot of support and made arrangements for her to succeed in the sport. The coach said that she started playing junior international events while being a part of the academy.
"Sonam started her career with us for the Junior Internationals as well. From Junior Internationals, she practiced at our academy during 5-6 international events she played. Even when she won her main Silver Medal at the World Cup, she was taking coaching from us. It is great that based on her achievements, she got selected for the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Scheme of Excellence and started practicing there. Currently, she is training under Coach Farooq Thomas, who is a very good coach in India, and she is giving great results under him. She has performed really well," added the coach.
There was an atmosphere of ecstacy after her win among family members, as they distributed sweets among each other following the win.
India's Sonam Uttam Maskar also featured in the individual eight-woman final, finishing sixth with an elimination score of 167.0.
In the team event, which is decided by aggregate qualification scores, India posted a combined total of 1898.0 to secure second place on the podium. Sonam led the qualifying effort for India with an outstanding 634.1 to finish third, while Elavenil qualified in seventh place with 633.5. Vidarsa added a solid score of 630.4 to place 12th in the individual rankings and seal the team silver for India. (ANI)
Asian Games 2026: Sonam Maskar's coach Rohit reflects on shooter's journey after 10m air rifle team silver win
