From TOPS prodigy to scholar: Meerut marksman Shapath Bhardwaj is back in the huntAfter Academic Break, Shapath Sets Sights On Asian Games

Lucknow: Once hailed as India’s budding shooting prodigy, double trap marksman Shapath Bhardwaj has returned to the national spotlight after securing a place in India’s Asian Games squad, capping a comeback shaped as much by classrooms as by shooting ranges.Bhardwaj, from Meerut, was only 15 when he became the youngest athlete in the country to be included in the govt’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), a milestone that marked him out as one of India’s most promising shooting talents.

With early success and elite backing, his career trajectory appeared set for a steady climb through the international circuit.Instead, Bhardwaj took an uncommon detour. At a stage when most athletes aim to maximise competitive exposure, he stepped away from regular competition to pursue higher education.

He completed a Master’s in Olympic Studies at the International Olympic Academy in Greece, where he was selected as the sole Indian candidate. The academic stint reduced his time on the range, but it also broadened his view of sport, performance and the Olympic movement.Now, he is back in competition mode with an immediate focus on the ISSF World Cup Shotgun in Italy from July 3 to 13, followed by the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, scheduled from Sept 19 to Oct 4.

Speaking from the United Kingdom, Bhardwaj said his training is currently centred on the World Cup build-up under India’s national camp.“I am currently focusing on the ISSF World Cup Shotgun, which will be held in Italy from July 3 to 13. I am training with the Indian camp under our foreign coach Peter Wilson. After that, my focus will shift to the Asian Games, which is also very important for me. I want to win a medal for my country and play a crucial role in adding to India’s medal tally,” he said.Bhardwaj said his return was complicated by the challenge of balancing elite sport with academic deadlines. He left India in September 2024 for college and managed only brief shooting windows while studying abroad. “During the Christmas break in 2024, I came back to India for a month. I trained for around 10 days, shot the nationals, and then went back. After that, I did not shoot for the whole year,” he said.He returned from Greece around Sept 2025 after completing his second semester and began building toward the national championships in Dec 2025, a period that also overlapped with his thesis and dissertation work.

“That is when the selection process began. At the same time, I was also writing my master’s thesis and finishing my dissertation. So, between Sept 2024 and Sept 2025, I had shot for only around 15 to 20 days,” he added.Despite the limited preparation, Bhardwaj delivered an encouraging performance at the ISSF World Cup in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in May 2026. He shot 118 out of 125, falling three targets short of the final cut, which hovered around 120-121.

He also emerged as India’s highest-scoring individual trap shooter at the event, an outcome that strengthened his case in a selection cycle built on consistency across domestic and international outings.Explaining the pathway, Bhardwaj said the process begins with the nationals, then includes the Digvijay Memorial competition and two selection trials. The best three scores from those four events are averaged to identify the top shooters who travel for competitions, after which World Cup scores are added to the calculation to finalise the Asian Games team.Bhardwaj traced his introduction to the sport to his family. “I started shooting by following my brother’s footsteps. I played a local tournament and luckily won a gold medal,” he said.He added that his father consulted Asian games medallist Ronjan Sodhi, who advised him to train under Yogendra Pal Singh, known as Yogi sir, at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in Delhi. “Yogi sir groomed me in a double trap and trap. I also trained with foreign coaches too,” he said.