Deaf shooter Priyesha Deshmukh wins World Championships bronze on international debut

 HIGHLIGHTS

• Priyesha Deshmukh can't hear the sound of pellets hitting the target
• Priyesha won bronze in the 10m air rifle category at the 1st World Deaf Shooting Championships
• Priyesha scored 180.4 in the final to secure the third spot

PUNE: Priyesha Deshmukh can't hear the sound of pellets hitting the target, but sight of a perfect 10 is still music to her ears.

The hearing-impaired shooter from Pune may not have heard the applause, but taste of success was as sweet as ever, when she rose to the podium in Kazan, Russia, on Wednesday.

Priyesha, 23, won bronze in the 10m air rifle category at the 1st World Deaf Shooting Championships held in Kazan. It wasn't just the maiden international participation for Priyesha, but it was also the first time the Pune girl had gone to a foreign land.

Priyesha scored 180.4 in the final to secure the third spot, a big achievement for someone who started the sport only three years ago, and even otherwise. She had qualified for the medal round after scoring 404.9 in the qualification round. Ukraine'sSvitlana Yatsenko (201.6 in final) and Serbia's Gordana Mikovic (200.3) won gold and silver respectively.
"The medal win is a big morale booster for Priyesha, as she worked really hard for the event," said the shooter's father Sharadrao.

"She has been winning national gold in her the handicapped category since last three years but a medal in her maiden international participation is really big," the proud father told TOI.

But Priyesha's journey to the World Championships wasn't very smooth. Playing a sport which doesn't have a national body in deaf category, Sharadrao had to run from pillar to post before getting a go-ahead for Priyesha's participation.

"There is no shooting body for the deaf. The deaf category doesn't come under Indian Olympics Association either. The body that takes care of the sporting affair for the deaf is All India Sports Council of the Deaf (AISCD), but they don't have shooting sport under them. The National Rifle Association of India take care of the para-shooters, but deaf don't come under para-shooter's category," Sharadrao said.

"To get the sports ministry's nod, we first had to convince the AISCD. It was a tedious task, but once they got all the documents in place, they escalated the matter to the sports ministry," he said.
Priyesha first got her hands on a rifle when she attended a camp when she was in ninth standard in 2008. She asked her father to get a rifle for her, but Sharadrao delayed it.

"I wanted her to focus on her studies as she was approaching the 10th and 12th standard board exams. When she was in her first year, I met Olympian Suma Shirur and after discussing with her, I got a rifle for her," the Regional Transport Office employee said.

"Since all other sports need a lot of communication, shooting suits Priyesha better as she can be on her own. Generally, deaf people have some insecurities and suspicious. They have sharp eyes. This helped Priyesha in improving her shooting. The sport also keeps her away from insecurities."

With the World Championships medal around her neck, Priyesha is now aiming for the Deaflympics, Olympics for the deaf, scheduled to be held in Samsun, Turkey, next year.