Shooter Umamahesh Maddineni of KLEF University says the process of hitting the target with precision gives him an adrenaline rush. The 19-year-old needed a lot of that adrenaline on Wednesday as he clawed back after a difficult start to win a silver medal in the 10m Air Rifle event of the 4th Khelo India University Games 2023, Ashtalakshmi, at the Kahilipara Shooting Range here.

Umamahesh, who had topped the qualifying with a score of 630.6, struggled to find his rhythm in the initial few shots of the final and looked like he could miss out on the podium. But he regrouped in time to not just stay in the hunt but also clinch the silver medal with a score of 249.5 behind Aishwaryapratap Singh Tomar of Guru Nanak Dev University.

“Yes, my start was not that good because I was feeling tired as I have been shooting a lot since the last six months. But then I reminded myself what I like about shooting and that I didn’t want to give up in the final. I focused on my belly breathing thereafter and then I started shooting well,” said the 19-year-old, who came to Guwahati on a high after winning the 10m Air Rifle junior men and junior mixed team gold in ISSF World Cup in Granada earlier this month.

“I came back to India just four days ago and didn’t really get any time to train before the Khelo India University Games. But I wanted to shoot in these Games because I love the competition and I am happy I could win the silver medal,” said the youngster from Vijaywada, who now trains at the Gun for Glory Academy in Chennai under Neha Chavan.

Umamahesh was fascinated with guns since he was a child and played with toy guns before his father got him enrolled in a local academy to learn the sport. However, he points out that the first three years were hardly anything worth talking about and things only began to look up after he shifted to Chennai.

“There were many technical issues with my shooting but I never gave up. After I started training under Neha ma’am, my performance improved and now I am aiming to become more consistent and win more medals,” said Umamahesh who had earlier won a bronze and a team gold in ISSF World Cups.

The 19-year-old is now focused on the India team trials in Bhopal and Delhi and said the performance in Guwahati was just another step in his long-term goal.