Srinagar: Fourteen-year-old shooter Sheikh Zainab Iqbal from Soura, Srinagar, has achieved a significant milestone in competitive shooting by qualifying for the national level in the 50M Rifle Prone event.
Zainab is currently training at Mission Olympics Shooting Academy Jammu (MOSAJ). She achieved this milestone despite the absence of a dedicated professional 50M Rifle training facility in Jammu and Kashmir.
Zainab first grabbed the opportunity to compete in the 15th J&K UT Shooting Championship conducted by the Jammu & Kashmir Rifle Association (JKRA), where she won the Gold Medal in the 50M Rifle Prone event. Her performance demonstrated the talent and potential she possesses in the discipline.
Her achievement should not be overlooked because of the non-availability of a 50M Rifle range in J&K. Instead, her performance highlights the importance of providing talented young shooters with access to proper training facilities. In the absence of specialised infrastructure within J&K, Zainab and her parents remained committed to her preparation and arranged training opportunities in NCC Range and later at a specialised shooting range in Chandigarh.
Their continued support, commitment and willingness to facilitate training outside the Union Territory played an important role in her journey towards national-level qualification.
Zainab’s achievement is particularly significant as she becomes the first athlete associated with MOSAJ to compete and qualify at the national level in the 50M Rifle discipline.
Her qualification reflects not only her dedication and perseverance but also the potential of young shooters from Jammu and Kashmir, who continue to pursue specialised sporting disciplines despite limited infrastructure and training opportunities.
The achievement also highlights the need for a dedicated professional 50M Rifle shooting range in Jammu and Kashmir, which would enable local athletes to undertake regular specialised training without having to travel outside the Union Territory.
The achievement has been welcomed by her coaches, parents and members of the J&K shooting fraternity, who have congratulated Zainab and expressed hope that her success will encourage more young athletes to take up competitive shooting.
For Zainab, this national-level qualification marks the beginning of a new chapter in her sporting journey. With continued training and dedication, she now aims to build on this achievement and compete at higher levels.
