Satendra Kumar

Satendra Kumar
Personal information
NationalityIndian
Born (1974-05-03) 3 May 1974
Khudalia, Simbhaoli, Hapur district (then Ghaziabad district), Uttar Pradesh, India
Sport
SportShooting
Events
50 m free pistol; 10 m air pistol; 25 m centre fire pistol; 25 m standard pistol
ClubIndian Navy Shooting Team
Coached byD. Lingam, Sunny Thomas, Tibor Gonczol

Satendra Kumar (born 3 May 1974) is an Indian sport shooter and a retired Indian Navy officer. He represented India in pistol events at international competitions including the ISSF World Championships, ISSF World Cups, the Asian Shooting Championships, the Commonwealth Shooting Championships and the South Asian Games during the late 1990s and 2000s. At the second Commonwealth Shooting Championship at Langkawi, Malaysia, in November 1997, he won the individual and team gold medals in the men's 50 m free pistol.[1][2]

Kumar received the Arjuna Award for shooting from the Government of India in 1997.[3][4]

Early life

Kumar was born on 3 May 1974 at Khudalia village, Post Simbhaoli, in what is now Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh (then part of the larger Ghaziabad district). He comes from a farming family; his father Ram Kumar Singh held a licensed .12-bore rifle, around which his early interest in firearms developed.[5]

Kumar enlisted in the Indian Navy in July 1992 and, after basic training at INS Chilka, was inducted into the Indian Navy Shooting Team in July 1994 after being identified by naval shooting coach D. Lingam.[5] He was based for most of his competitive years at INS Agrani, Coimbatore, the Navy's shooting unit, alongside team-mates including Sanjeev Rajput.[6]

Shooting career

Kumar made his National Shooting Championship debut in 1994 in the standard pistol event at the Kanpur Nationals, before settling on the men's 50 m free pistol as his principal discipline.[7] At the 40th National Shooting Championship at the Asansol Rifle Club Range in 1996, he won the men's free pistol gold in the eight-shooter final with 645.9, ahead of Jaspal Rana (640.9).[8] He successfully defended the title at the 41st National Championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range, Tughlakabad, in 1997, scoring 643.7 to again win the men's 50 m free pistol gold ahead of Rana.[9]

Kumar's first international competition was the South Asian Shooting Championship at the Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, in March 1997, where he won the men's 50 m free pistol final with 639.4, ahead of Jaspal Rana (636.7) and Samresh Jung (635.4).[2][7] At the second Commonwealth Shooting Championship at Langkawi, Malaysia, in November 1997, he won the individual gold medal in the men's 50 m free pistol with 555/600 and was part of the Indian team that took the team gold in the same event.[10][1] He later represented India at the 1998 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Barcelona and at multiple ISSF World Cup events through 2009.[11]

Awards and honours

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "A rosy picture". The Sportstar. 16 May 1998. pp. 58–59. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Rao, C. Rajshekhar (11 March 1997). "Satender Kumar clinches gold". The Hindu. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 "List of Arjuna Awardees (1961–2018)" (PDF). Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2026. Sl. No. 372, Year 1997, Sl. 11: Shri Satendra Kumar – Shooting.
  4. 1 2 "Arjuna Award – Recipients in Shooting". National Rifle Association of India. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  5. 1 2 Bose, Robin (1997). "A long journey for Ghaziabad lad". The Statesman. New Delhi. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Rozario, Rayan (26 July 2009). "Navy shooters reap rich haul". The Hindu. Coimbatore. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  7. 1 2 Kannan, S. (12 March 1997). "Ecstatic Satender Kumar shoots maiden gold medal". The Indian Express. New Delhi. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  8. ↑ "Jaspal Rana right on target". The Sportstar. 8 February 1997. pp. 78–79. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  9. ↑ Bose, Robin (1997). "Satendra, Charan take early lead". The Statesman. New Delhi. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  10. ↑ "Satender in line for gold and Satendra shoots gold". Express News Service. 25 November 1997. Retrieved 10 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Satendra Kumar — Athlete portrait". International Shooting Sport Federation. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
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