"Abhinav, for sure", Rupesh Shaw had told his wife way back in 2006 when asked what name he would give their offspring if it were a son.
Shaw was mighty impressed with shooter Abhinav Bindra winning the world championship title that year. The couple did have a son a couple of years later. No prizes for guessing his name.
On Sunday, Abhinav Shaw, all of 10 years and 291 days, became the youngest Khelo India Youth Games medallist when he won the 10m air rifle mixed gold along with Mehuli Ghosh in the under-21 category at the Balewadi sports complex here. The West Bengal boy had taken to the sport at age 8.
Though the Khelo India Games are only two editions old, Abhinav's record will be almost impossible to break. Not just because of its difficulty level but also due to a change in policy of the National Rifle Association of India last month.
While no age had earlier been defined to start air weapon shooting, the association has now set it at 10 years. The legal age to start firearm shooting stays at 12.
NRAI general secretary Rajiv Bhatia told TOI, "The reason for setting a minimum age is that a child should be grown enough physically to carry the weight of an air gun." Incidentally, Abhinav weighs 40kg and lifts a 4.5kg rifle during his two-hour daily practice.
With the new regulation, no club or academy will be able to train under-10 shooters. Even if the shooter trains at home, s/he will not be able to compete. Once a shooter starts at 10, it will not be possible for him or her to make it to any national level competition within a year.
The senior Shaw says he himself was an aspiring shooter but couldn't continue because of financial constraints. But he wanted Abhinav to take up shooting and got him registered at the Asansol Shooting Academy two years ago.
"Abhinav participated in the state championships and won gold in the youth category (U-18). He was then spotted by Olympian shooter Joydeep Karmakar, who took Abhinav to his academy in Kolkata," he said.