Profile: Rahi Sarnobat

Sport: Shooting

Born: October 30, 1990, Kolhapur

Event: 25 metre pistol

About Rahi Jeevan Sarnobat:

The young lass from Maharashtra, Rahi Sarnobat, idolises 50m prone world champion and fellow state-mate Tejaswini Sawant. When Rahi booked her place at the London Games at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, it was a moment to rejoice for India. She won the bronze in the 25m Air Pistol event to confirm her berth.

When most other competitors have children of the age of the young girl, Rahi definitely was in for a shocking surprise when she got the quota.

Along with Anisa Sayeed, Sarnobat gave India a gold as they won in the 25m pistol pair event at the Commonwealth Games, 2010.

The youngest of the Indian shooting lot at the London Olympics, but is out to prove that she is not one to be brushed aside. Her first major competition - 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games 2008 in Pune, proved  to be "golden" for the Kolhapur girl.

It has been just four years since she grabbed hold of a gun but the results indicate anything but that. Coached by Ajit Patil in her hometown, she later joined ace rifle proponent Gagan Narang's academy, Gun for Glory, in Pune.

The pistol competition has two stages where in the first is a precision round- a more leisurely sort. The finals though are always conducted in the second stage- the rapid round. It is here that Rahi comes into her own. Even the event where she eventually qualified for the Games, she started the final round in the eighth position and then clawed her way back up the top.

But her selection, as is almost always the case in India, has not been without its fair share of controversies. Anisa Sayyed, who won the Commonwealth Gold in 25m pistol, had alleged that selection policy was not totally unbiased. It was blamed on political interference, though, more than anything else.

Previous Olympics: None