Biography of Jitu Rai

Jitu Rai is an Indian shooter of Indian Gorkha ethnic group who competes in the 10 metre air pistol and 50 metre pistol events. He was born on August 26, 1987. Rai is of Nepalese origin.

Rai spent his early life in Sankhuwa Sabha district of Nepal. Currently designated as a Naib-Subedar in the 11 Gorkha Rifles of the Indian Army, he is posted in Lucknow. Rai is now an Indian citizen, and has represented the country in many sporting events including 2016 Summer Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro, the seaside city of Brazil.

Personal Life

He is the fourth brother among the five siblings, and spent his early life in a village of Sankhuwa Sabha district of Nepal.

Shooting Career

• He bagged a silver medal in the 10 metre air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Munich in 2014.
• In the same year, he won a silver in the 50 metre pistol event, and a gold in the 10 metre air pistol event in Maribor.
• Again in the same year, he ranked number 1 in the world in 10 metre air pistol and number 4, in 50 metre pistol events.
• By scoring 562 points in the the 50 metre pistol event, he ended up creating the Games record in the qualification round. He also earned a gold medal in the event, scoring 194.1 points in the final.
• Following his number of victories in 2014, he won another gold medal in the 50 metre pistol category and a bronze in the men’s 10 metre air pistol team event at the 2014 Asian Games, which were held at Incheon, South Korea.
• At the ISSF World Cup held in Baku, Azerbaijan, Rai clinched another silver in 10 metre air pistol event.

2016 Rio Olympics

Jitu Rai qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics, but ended up with a disappointing result. He started his stint satisfactory scores, and somehow survived until the fourth round; however, he could not manage a medal at the global event.

Awards Record

• Honoured with India’s highest sporting award, the Khel Ratna, in 2016.