Sidhartha Babu

Started: He first used an air rifle when he was a schoolboy. "It was my cousin's rifle. We had used a compass to make the target circles. The shot hit the compass mark." (newindianexpress.com, 21 Aug 2019) Reason: "Like every kid, I loved playing with rifles. I never played with pistols, but only with rifles." (newindianexpress.com, 21 Aug 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (onmanorama.com, 21 Aug 2022; sportskeeda.com, 26 Oct 2023; onmanorama.com, 13 Mar 2024) Additional Info: COVID-19 IMPACT He was forced to relocate and set up a new shooting range in order to train during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. "With all shooting ranges shut, the lockdown restrictions made practice impossible. But that didn't dissuade me and I set up an indoor shooting range at home. I moved to a secluded place at Vithura [India] to continue with my training. Setting up the shooting range and moving to a new place was a daunting task as I did it all on my own. The lockdown was a very fruitful time. During training, I beat my personal best at least three times." (onmanorama.com, 24 Dec 2021; indianexpress.com, 31 Aug 2021; newindianexpress.com, 06 Feb 2021) SELF-TAUGHT He learned the basics of shooting from books before his talent was spotted and he began receiving formal coaching. "I won the gold in 50m men's prone air rifle shooting in the Kerala State Shooting Championship in 2016. It was the first time a Para shooter had won that contest while competing with mainstream [non-Para] shooters. After that the state government gave funds to go to Belarus and international coach Sergei Martynov became my teacher." (timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 18 Apr 2019) PREVIOUS OCCUPATION Prior to his accident, he was a martial arts instructor and held a black belt in kickboxing. "I was bedridden for a year after my accident. I had many realisations then, being alive was the most important thing. Being paraplegic does not restrict the flow of energy in me. Being a martial artist, I know how to build my body and work on my muscles. I realised I had to start finding solutions for everything, and I had to begin from scratch." (sportskeeda.com, 21 Aug 2021; thebridge.in, 20 Aug 2021) OTHER STUDIES He has also studied at the College of Engineering Trivandrum in Thiruvananthapuram, India. (Facebook profile, 25 Dec 2021)