Early Times Report JAMMU, May 19: Delhi Public School Jammu proudly congratulates Dharya Kotwal, a student of Class VII-B, for her exceptional achievement at the prestigious India Open Shooting Championship 2026, held at Dehradun, Uttarakhand, from 15th to 23rd May 2026. Representing Jammu & Kashmir in the 10m Air Rifle event, Dharya displayed remarkable focus, precision, and determination, clinching double gold medals in both the Sub Youth and Youth categories with an outstanding score of 415.3. Another promising shooter from DPS Nagbani, Laksh Chetan Wazir of Class VIII-A, also delivered a commendable performance by scoring 409.7 points and securing the 4th position in the highly competitive Sub Youth category. Adding another feather to their caps, the young shooters were felicitated by Hon'ble Shri Kavinder Gupta, Lieutenant Governor, and Shri S.S. Sodhi, Governing Body Member, NRAI and President JKRA, in recognition of their outstanding performances and contribution to the sport of shooting. During the interaction, Hon'ble LG Shri Kavinder Gupta assured the budding shooters of full support and encouragement in their sporting journey. Being a proud son of the soil, he expressed happiness over the growing popularity of shooting sports in Jammu & Kashmir and shared that he has been consistently receiving encouraging reports about the remarkable growth of shooting under the dynamic leadership of Shri S.S. Sodhi. He appreciated the increasing participation of schools and students from different regions of J&K in shooting sports. The Hon'ble LG also lauded the efforts of private shooting clubs in Jammu & Kashmir for training and nurturing a large number of upcoming young shooters. Shri S.S. Sodhi briefed him about the contribution of Mission Olympics Shooting Academy in inspiring and training talented young shooters of the Union Territory. LG Sahib conveyed his appreciation to the Jammu & Kashmir Rifle Association (JKRA) for its continued support, guidance, and efforts in equipping young shooters to adapt to new technologies and compete successfully in this fast-growing sport. The Hon'ble LG further appreciated the vision of Hon'ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the nationwide Khelo India movement, which has encouraged youth participation in sports and created new opportunities for emerging talent from rural and remote regions of the country. He expressed satisfaction that shooting sports are now steadily reaching the grassroots level in Jammu & Kashmir, with increasing participation from rural areas, thereby opening new avenues for discipline, excellence, and national representation among the youth. The championship, organised under the aegis of the National Rifle Association of India, witnessed participation from talented shooters from across the country, making these achievements even more commendable |