Teenaged shooter comes forward to help pandemic victims

Unheralded shooter Shivam Thakur, who has excelled in youth tournaments, on Saturday said he has contributed 60 percent of his earnings to athletes struggling to survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 17-year-old Thakur, who competes in 10m air pistol, has been selected to represent India in the next Youth Asian Games, scheduled to be held in the UAE in July, the European Youth Games in September and the World Youth Games in Portugal towards the end of the year.

The shooter earns about Rs 5 lakh in a year through his scholarship and funding programmes.

He says he is the brand ambassador of (School Games and Activity Development Foundation) SGADF, which he himself started in 2017 to help children take a shot at realising their dreams in the field of sports.

"I have decided to give away 60 percent of whatever I have earned so far through various platforms to athletes struggling in their battle against the pandemic," he said.

"I think everyone should come forward and contribute whatever they can to help the country stop the disease from spreading further and affecting more people."