Patiala shooter in India junior core group

Aman Sood

Tribune news service

Patiala, September 5

Patiala shooter Parinaaz Dhaliwal has been selected for the junior women Indian skeet shooting team core group after she finished second in the selection trials at Delhi recently.

Parinaaz, who is the youngest shooter in the group, has won medals in various IPSC competitions in the past three years. "My principal Kaanchan and my teachers have been very supportive," said the Class IX girl from Mayo College Girls School, Ajmer, 

"My father Rattandeep Singh Dhaliwal has always stood behind me like a rock and has motivated me to take up professional shooting," she said. 

"I still remember shifting to Ajmer…on couple of times, I had even thought of giving up shooting. However, my principal and my father encouraged me to continue the sport. I got only five days of practice before the competition," said Parinaaz. 

The budding youngster started skeet shooting under the guidance of Amarjung Singh Sidhu and Capt PP Singh at the age of 13. 

She qualified for pre-national GV Mavlankar shooting championship in October, and then made it to the nationals in December. 

"I am hopeful that she will be a medal prospect in the near future. She is young and still learning the sport. Her technique is good and if she can spare more time for practice, she can be one of the top shooters in the country," said Amarjung Singh.