Asian Games silver next to winning Olympics medal: Sanjeev Rajput

Indian shooter Sanjeev Rajput, who bagged a silver medal in Men's 50m Rifle 3 Positions at the ongoing 18th edition of the Asian Games, has said that the victory is next to winning an Olympics medal as top-ranked athletes from around the world participated in the competition.

Speaking to ANI, the shooter said, "This medal is next to winning an Olympics medal as top ranking world athletes come to this competition."

The 37-year-old, who covers his shooting expenses from his navy pension, further stated that he is jobless for more than four years but still manages to prepare for various shooting tournaments.

"I don't have a job for the past 4 yrs but even then I concentrated on my performance," he said.

Rajput had narrowly missed out on the first spot after scoring 452.7 points in the event.

While Zicheng Hui of China finished on top of the podium with a score of 453.3 points, Takayuki Matsumoto of Japan settled for the bronze medal after posting a score of 441.4 points.

India's total medal tally at the ongoing 18th edition of the prestigious event stands at nine with three gold, three silver and three bronze.