Latest news with #SH1
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Sumedha Pathak beats out ‘inspiration' Rubina Francis for Para World Cup shooting gold
Moments after 28-year-old Sumedha Pathak won her first WSPS World Cup individual gold in the women's P2 10m air pistol SH1 final in Changwon, Korea, she was hugged by Paris Paralympics bronze medallist and compatriot Rubina Francis, who finished seventh in the same category. For Sumedha, who edged out another Indian, Shrishti Arora, to win the gold with a score of 235.2, and many of her peers, Francis is an inspiration. 'Rubina mam has always been an inspiration for me and other shooters and whenever we compete at the shooting range, we see each other as inspiration as well motivating,' Sumedha told The Indian Express from Changwon, Korea. Daughter of pharmaceutical entrepreneur Brijesh Chandra Pathak, a young Sumedha would always be keen in her studies as well as listening about her father's social work in their hometown of Varanasi. In 2013, after complaining of fever and body pains, she was diagnosed with Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis resulting in spinal paralysis. The Pathak family would then spend months in hospitals in Delhi as well Kolkata before the youngster recovered, with her body movement below her chest being completely nil. 'After spending more than a year in recovery at different hospitals, when we returned home, the first thing I told Sumedha was to have belief that we will excel in whatever way we can. We live in a joint family and the entire family ensured that Sumedha always remained focussed on her goals whether it be studies or whatever field she chose,' says father Brijesh Chandra Pathak. Sumedha would top the CBSE 12th exam in commerce stream in specially abled division in India with 91.04 percent in 2016. It was in 2018 that her father, along with consultation with international shooters Asif and Ajit Singh Suryavanshi and coach Santosh Tiwari, got a makeshift shooting range built at their home. While Sumedha would start with pistol shooting, the coaches would face the problem of setting the right posture for the youngster. 'Sumedha's body movement is very restricted and hence we could not make her start in rifle shooting. Initially, when she started pistol shooting, her upper body would fall ahead. So we would start with the dry shooting part, working to increase her upper body and shoulder strength. Once we could achieve the right posture and balance on a wheelchair, we increased shots to 40-60 shots daily and she would train for 2-3 hours,' remembers coach Santosh Tiwari. Father Brijesh too talks about the initial struggles. 'While we had built the shooting range at the parking space of our home, Sumedha used to spend a lot of time for physiotherapy sessions too. During 2020-2021, early Covid-19 times, we got a new range built inside our home. We are lucky that the whole shooting community of Varanasi and UP would support her. (When the new) shooting range (came up) in Varanasi in 2024, it meant that the likes of Sumedha could dream of training at a world class facility one day in Varanasi,' says Pathak. In 2022, Sumedha made the Indian Para shooting team and was part of the Indian pistol team which won the silver medal in the WSPS World Cup in France and Korea respectively. In 2023, Sumedha finished seventh in women's P2 10m air pistol SH1 in the Hangzhou Asian Para Games. 'In shooters like Sumedha, the main challenge for coaches is to strike a balance between the upper body strength suited for their shooting style. While the technique can be tweaked based on the posture, the upper body strength has to be the strongest and she has been able to work on that,' says national para pistol coach Subash Rana. In Khelo India Para Games in March this year, Sumedha had scored a score of 237.5 to win the gold. On Monday, she qualified at the second spot with a score of 565 behind Francis, who shot 566. In the final, Sumedha was placed third after the second series before she made her way to the gold medal elimination round followed by her winning the gold with a score of 235.2. 'The Khelo India gold made Sumedha believe that she can win big in finals too and to edge out Rubina then also helped her confidence. While she has won team medals before, this Individual gold is a new beginning for her,' says Jaiprakash Nautiyal, chief coach Indian Para Shooting team. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Calm in adversity: Rudransh Khandelwal wins Para gold the same way he dealt with losing left foot
On Monday morning, when 17-year-old Rudransh Khandelwal won the title in the men's P1 10m air pistol SH 1, edging out two-time Paralympics medallist Manish Narwal, in the WSPS World Cup in Changwon, South Korea, the first thing the Rajasthan shooter did was call his mother, Vinita. Ten years ago, Rudransh had lost his left foot in a cracker explosion during a wedding in Bharatpur and as the youngster won the gold on Monday, he reiterated to his mother the simple ways in which his kin has supported him. 'Right from the day of the incident, my family and friends have treated me the same way which they used to do prior to the accident. That's the biggest strength one can have,' Rudransh tells The Indian Express from South Korea. It was in January 2015 that the then seven-year-old Rudransh suffered shrapnel injuries due to the cracker explosion and the following days would see the family spending time going to various hospitals in Jaipur and Delhi for the treatment. 'While we would spend the next days anxiously visiting different hospitals, he would keep his cool. Post the operation, he would spend time watching cartoons at the hospital during his recovery time and would also tell us to be joyful,' recalls mother Vinita, who is a Civics lecturer in Bharatpur. Post his recovery, the Khandelwals would spend months finding the right prosthetic. The search would end at P&O International, a special prosthetic company in New Delhi. 'My husband and I did not want Rudransh to use a support. We wanted him to believe that he is at par with anybody,' Vinita says. Within a year of getting the prosthetic, Khandelwal would start shooting at the SBN Shooting Academy under coach Sumit Rathi. 'Kids between the ages of 8-10 would come and train dry shooting with us. In the case of Rudransh, I had to sit and hold the pistol and make him shoot. For the first six months, we did that just to make him understand the precision aspect of shooting. And slowly, I started shooting him in a standing position. Once we were able to find the perfect balancing position, which also required a lot of physical work, we worked on his grip,' the coach recalls. Khandelwal too remembers the early stages of his career. The Delhi University student remembers one incident which helped him understand one of the early lessons of life. 'During one of the state competitions, my prosthetic leg broke. I along with coach sir had to do jugaad with screws and other stuff to repair it and it was a lesson for me that I have to stand on my own come what may. Sometimes, the nerves in my thigh would swell due to continuous standing as we increased shooting shots from 30 shots to 100 shots but then I knew I had to suffer if I had to pursue my passion, which is shooting,' Rudransh says. The youngster would first break into the national para shooting team in 2022 and won his first world cup medal in WSPS World Cup in Osijek, Croatia in 2023 with a gold in P4 Mixed 50m Pistol SH 1 Category, where he also created the new world record score of 231.1. He followed up with another gold in the same World Cup with the title in the P1 Men's 10m air pistol SH 1 Event with a new junior world record. He won two silver medals in World Championships in Lima the same year apart from winning two silver medals in 2023 Asian Para Games. 'Rudransh's strength has been competing in both 50m and 10m events and the way he has managed to find a posture suited to his shooting style in both the events,' says national para pistol coach Subhash Rana. While the youngster had missed the final of the men's 10m air pistol SH 1 by just one spot in Paris Paralympics, the Indian shooter finished seventh in qualification with a score of 564. In the final, Khandewal was placed sixth after the second series. The elimination rounds saw Khandewal climbing from sixth spot to the gold medal position, edging out compatriot Narwal, by 0.3 points for the gold. 'Rudransh maintained his calm while being close to the elimination zone once in the final and the comeback would add to his confidence a lot,' says Jaiprakash Nautiyal, chief coach Indian Para Shooting team. Nitin Sharma is an Assistant Editor with the sports team of The Indian Express. Based out of Chandigarh, Nitin works with the print sports desk while also breaking news stories for the online sports team. A Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award recipient for the year 2017 for his story 'Harmans of Moga', Nitin has also been a two-time recipient of the UNFPA-supported Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity for the years 2022 and 2023 respectively. Nitin mainly covers Olympics sports disciplines with his main interests in shooting, boxing, wrestling, athletics and much more. The last 17 years with The Indian Express has seen him unearthing stories across India from as far as Andaman and Nicobar to the North East. Nitin also covers cricket apart from women's cricket with a keen interest. Nitin has covered events like the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the 2011 ODI World Cup, 2016 T20 World Cup and the 2017 AIBA World Youth Boxing Championships. An alumnus of School of Communication Studies, Panjab University, from where he completed his Masters in Mass Communications degree, Nitin has been an avid quizzer too. A Guru Nanak Dev University Colour holder, Nitin's interest in quizzing began in the town of Talwara Township, a small town near the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh border. When not reporting, Nitin's interests lie in discovering new treks in the mountains or spending time near the river Beas at his hometown. ... Read More
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- RNZ News
One dead after crash on SH1 in Timaru
The stretch of SH1 in Timaru where the fatal crash happened. Photo: Google Maps One person has died following a crash on State Highway 1 in Timaru this morning. The single-vehicle crash happened on Evans Street, between Pringle and Belfield Streets, shortly before 10am. Part of the road is expected to remain closed until later this afternoon while police investigate the crash. Further north, one person is in a critical condition after a two-car crash on State Highway 12 in Northland this afternoon. Fire and Emergency said the crash occurred between Matakohe and Ruawai about 1.15pm. One person trapped in the wreckage has been freed by fire-fighters and is being treated by St John Ambulance. The Serious Crash Unit is on its way. Motorists are advised to avoid the area. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
19-05-2025
- Automotive
- RNZ News
Crash causes delays on Transmission Gully
A crash blocked a southbound lane of SH1/Transmission Gully on Tuesday morning. Photo: NZTA / Waka Kotahi Traffic is backing up on Transmission Gully north of Wellington after a crash blocked a lane. The crash on Tuesday morning happened at the Wainui Saddle, after the Paekakariki southbound offramp of SH1. One southbound lane was blocked NZTA / Waka Kotahi said tow trucks were on the way to remove the vehicles. It advised motorists to consider using SH59 or expect delays.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scoop
Everyone Can Help Make Our Roads Safer
Press Release – la Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand The roads are truckies workplaces, and they want them to be as safe as they can be for everyone. A bit of patience and courtesy go a huge way to making sure everyone has a good trip. The theme of this week's Road Safety Week is Be a Road Safety Hero and Transporting New Zealand has some tips for getting your superhero cape on. CEO Dom Kalasih says everybody can help make the roads safer, from truckies in the big rigs, to motorists and cyclists. In particular, he says some key things make the roads much safer for everyone. 'The roads are truckie's workplaces, and they want them to be as safe as they can be for everyone,' he says. 'A bit of patience and courtesy go a huge way to making sure everyone has a good trip.' Four top safety tips around trucks are; Leave the gap. Don't pull in front of a truck just because there's a space. Truck drivers like a decent space in front because they take about twice the distance to stop than a car does. Make yourself seen. Trucks have blindspots. If you can't see their wing mirrors, they can't see you. And if it's wet, put on your car lights so you stand out behind the spray that gets kicked up.. Cyclists can help by wearing some fluro. There are a few riders who think dressing in black like a ninja at night is a good idea. It's really not. It's SH1, not F1 Trucks legally can only do 90 km/h. If you want to pass, give yourself plenty of space if you're using a passing lane. You might have 40 metres to pass so make sure there is plenty of space for you and anybody else who plans on getting through by the time the passing lane ends. Here's an example of what not to do, taken on a road outside Rotorua. Tired? Pull over Feeling sleepy? Find a safe place to pull over and have a micro-rest. The AA says a 15-20 minute power nap provides the brain with the best pick-me-up. Some water and a banana are always handy for keeping energised.
