Guns and glory: Pudukai royal scion traps gold for India

CHENNAI: Being born in the family of erstwhile royals who once ruled Pudukkottai, with his father, mother and sister being expert shooters, the smell of gunpowder was perhaps always sweet for Prithviraj Tondaiman. It just got sweeter, now that he helped India win a gold in men’s trap shooting at the Asian Games 2023.

Partnering with Zoravar Singh Sandhu and Kynan Darius Chenai, the scion of the Thodaiman royal family won the gold at the event on Sunday, and has now set his sights on winning an Olympic gold for the country.

“I have mixed feelings because it’s the first-ever team gold medal in this category, and defeating team Kuwait was no easy feat,” Prithviraj told DT Next over the phone from Delhi.

The trio also set an Asian Games record by amassing 361 points, breaking a 29-year-old record set by Kuwait during the 1994 games in Hiroshima by four points. “We had to surpass Kuwait, who have never been defeated until now, to break their record. That made our victory even more special.”

Reflecting on his journey to the top, Prithviraj reminisced about the time when he was sponsored for two years by the Daily Thanthi group and competed as part of the team. “Asian Games silver medallist Ramkumar Ramanathan and I were sponsored before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” he recalled.

“My father, Rajagopal Tondaiman, was a member of the Indian team in the 1990s. My journey began during that period, as I watched my dad and accompanied him to competitions. My sister, Radha Niranjani, is also a national-level shooter. I carry just one dream with me always, and that is to win an Olympic medal for the country,” said Prithviraj, whose mother Charubala Thondaiman is a popular politician who was the Mayor of Tiruchy for two terms.

Thanking the state government for being proactive in providing good infrastructure, he said there are plans to establish a new shooting range in the city, which would greatly benefit shooters in Tamil Nadu by enabling them to train more efficiently.

Prithviraj is the first trap shooter to have earned two ISSF World Cup medals. However, he shares that there is a sense of disappointment lingering within him due to his inability to participate in the final shooting event. He explains, “Despite making it to the final, I later discovered a new rule that allows only two members from one contingent to compete in the final, this rule is applied only at the Asian Games. I had to sit out as a result. My team-mates scored more points during the qualifiers, and they competed in the final. They went on to win the gold medal by defeating Kuwait, which is truly remarkable.”

The team has its sights set on the upcoming Asian Championships in October. Prithviraj explains the significance of the National camp, which is set to commence in ten days. For the preparations leading up to the Asian Championships, the team will be doing its training at the renowned Karni Singh shooting range in Delhi.

In addition to the National camp, Prithviraj dedicates much of his time to training and rectifying his errors at the Royal Pudukkottai Sports Club and Range. He mentioned, “I spend a considerable amount of time training there; the majority of my training takes place at that facility.”

Prithviraj also expressed immense happiness regarding the Indian shooting contingent at this year’s Hangzhou Games, saying, “The Sports Authority of India is providing us with significant support.”

To highlight the positives in shooting, he added, “Last year, during a local shooting competition held at our range, we received approximately 400 entries, and this was solely for shotguns. If we were to include rifles and pistols, the number of entries would likely exceed 1000,” he said.

“There is a very transparent system in place when it comes to shooting, so we need to work when the system is right and we have excellent infrastructure,” Prithviraj concluded.