Bhopal girl shoots her way to Asiad bronze

Nineteen-year-old double trap shooter from Bhopal, Varsha Varman, created history by becoming the first sportsperson from Madhya Pradesh to bag a medal in the Asian Games.

Updated on: Sep 25, 2014, 21:43:19 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Nineteen-year-old double trap shooter from Bhopal, Varsha Varman, created history by becoming the first sportsperson from Madhya Pradesh to bag a medal in the Asian Games.

Varman was part of the Indian women’s shooting team, which bagged a bronze medal in double trap event at the Incheon, South Korea on Thursday.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, congratulating Varmam, a student at the Harvard University in the US, announced a Rs 50 lakh scholarship.

Praising the shooting star for her performance and potential, her coach said the ace-shooter will now focus on bettering her techniques and accuracy.

"Varsha, who has just started her academic career in Harvard, found little time for training as she has to spend long hours in studies," said coach Mansher Singh.

"She reached Incheon only three days before the competition. She shot excellently and she has a bright future ahead."

Singh is optimistic about her trainee's future.

"I don't believe in mounting pressure on my trainees."

"Now, my next plan for Varsha is just to make her the best (double trap shooter) in India by improving her techniques and skills. The other achievements would add automatically," she said.

The Indian shooting team comprising of Shagun Chowdhary, Shreyasi Singh and Varman aggregated 279 to finish on the podium behind China and hosts South Korea at the Gyeonggido Shooting Range.

While Chowdhary scored 96 points, Singh had a total of 94 and Varman managed to 89 points in the competition.

Varman's parents, both senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers are elated at their daughter’s achievement.

"I am happy that Varsha's hard work paid off," said father Vinay.

"Varsha had started shooting at the age of 13 years and within six years; she was competing at the international level."

Varsha's mother, Hymavathi, said the young shooting star had learnt from her previous mistakes to bag a medal.

"Varsha had missed a medal in the Commonwealth Games, as it was her first experience at the international level. But going by the fact that she was still a junior player then, Varsha had performed well," said Hymavathi.

"I am happy that she has learnt from her mistake and won a medal in the Asian Games."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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