Pune: Youth Olympics gold medallists shooters Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhary and weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga will be among the cream of India’s young sporting talent competing at the Khelo India Youth Games, beginning here on Wednesday.
The Jaspal Rana-trained Saurabh was in red-hot form last year when he shot his way to gold at the Asian Games, ISSF World Junior Championships, the Youth Olympics and the Asian Air Gun championships.
Manu also added the Youth Olympics gold to her kitty after the success of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and ISSF World Cup in Mexico last year. While Jeremy, who competed for Maharashtra in the first Khelo India Games, caught everyone’s attention by becoming the first Indian to win gold at the Youth Olympic Games, finishing on top in the 62kg class in Buenos Aires. Youth Olympic silver medal winners, recurve archer Akash Malik and air rifle shooter Mehuli Ghosh will also be competing.
Other participants include boxers Sakshi Chaudhary, who won the AIBA World Youth boxing championship (57kg class) in Budapest last year, Asian champions Anamika Hooda (51kg) and Manisha (64kg) as well as Bhavesh Kattimani, a World Youth Championship bronze medal winner.
UWW World Junior championship freestyle silver medallist Deepak Punia and Sajan Bhanwal, who created history by becoming the first Indian Greco-Roman wrestler to win a silver medal at the same tournament, will also be in the fray. On the track, PT Usha-trainee Jisna Mathew, a double Asian junior championship gold medallist will draw attention.