Noria strikes gold in junior World Cup

Young shooter Asher Noria pocketed his second medal in an international competition in style,winning the double trap gold medal on Wednesday with a score of 145+45 at the international junior world cup shooting championship in Suhl,Germany. He missed the junior world record by one point. “It was a close finish but we were helped by the fact that we were fresh from practice. We attended a 20-day camp in Pune for the core group of shooters for the Commonwealth Games before coming here,” said Noria,who won the double trap gold at last year’s Commonwealth Youth Games as well.

The youngster is one of 150 shooters who were practising at the national camp,and believes the presence of coaches like Masiello Dradi is doing them good. “Practising together helps a lot as we get a chance to practice alongside some of the big names. Dradi is one of the world’s best coaches and the Italian has been a guiding force for us,” said Noria.

“The Commonwealth Youth Games in Pune gave me enough confidence and I am eyeing a similar performance in the upcoming Junior World Cups too. Such events see the participation of the world’s best shooters and it is very important for someone like me to perform well,” he said. Noria first shot into the limelight when he shot a score of 180 in the CYG,bettering Rathore’s silver medal-winning score of 179 at the Athens Olympics.