Shooting stars: MCH doctor, 60-year-old mom win gold
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Kolkata: A Medical College Hospital Kolkata (MCHK) doctor,
Rounak Basak
, and his 60-year-old mother, Rita — a retired teacher of a Kamarhati school— claimed gold medals in their respective categories at a shooting championship hosted by the West Bengal Rifle Association on Sunday.
The mother-son duo had achieved a similar feat at the state shooting championship in Aug last year. Back then, Rita had clinched a gold in the 10m air rifle, and her son bagged the same for 10m air pistol.
Basak, an anasthesist, was inspired by Abhinav Bindra's Olympic success in Beijing 2008. But academic commitments and financial hurdles were constant challenges to the dream he had nurtured since he was in class VII.
"While pursuing MD in anaesthesia and critical care, I finally had the courage to take the leap. With some financial independence and determination, I decided to pursue this demanding sport, despite having no family link in shooting," he said.He enrolled himself at the North Calcutta Rifle Club in 2023 and hit bull's eye within 2 years.
It wasn't an easy task to strike a balance between residency at MCK and shooting training.His first success in shooting fetched him a bronze at the Bengal Shooting Sports Academy at Seerampore in March last year. He won three medals, including a gold, in the state shooting championship in 2024 at three events. He participated in his first-ever nationals at Delhi in Dec, 2024 at the 67th National Shooting Championship.
He has also qualified for the nationals this year. Rita's journey has been equally challenging as she chose to shun the 'awkwardness' of being one of the few lady shooters while practising along side her son since 2023.
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