Rathore's Silver

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For a man who took to the sport barely five years ago, the Olympic silver medal at double trap shooting by Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore marked the end of an Olympic medal pursuit that the 34-year-old Grenadier had been diligently preparing for. India had so far managed a solitary bronze during the post-independence period.

Rathore chose to maintain a strict discipline and train hard in the run up to the Olympics and remained far removed from the glare of the media -- which had touted the likes of Anju Bobby George and Anjali Bhagwat as rank favourites. Following a strict discipline, Rathore trained his nerves, killer instincts and sharp reflexes and finally lived up to his pet name among friends -- Chilly.

- Nivedita Mishra