Know Your Olympian: Naib Subedar Jitu Rai of 11 GR

The Olympic Games kick-started in Rio with stunning performances and mouth-opening fireworks. India is represented by its largest ever contingent of 120 members from various corners of the country representing various organisations. One among them is Indian Army’s Naib Subedar Jitu Rai.

Here is the story of a Gorkha Soldier representing India at the Olympics:

1. Jitu Rai was born and bought up in the Nepali village of Sankhuwa Sabha district. He is the fourth brother among five siblings.
2. He moved to India after the death of his father in 2006.
3. While his 3 brothers work in foreign countries and his mother cultivate rice in Nepal, Jitu Rai joined the Indian Army in 2006 in Lucknow. Jitu Rai always called Nepal his homeland ever since then.
4. He joined the 11^th Gorkha Regiment in 2006 as a Sepoy and eventually moved up the ladder to the rank of Naib-Subedar.
5. Nb Sub Jitu Rai, is also a valid Indian citizen as proved by the fact that he possesses a passport bearing number J6211856, valid till February 21, 2021.
6. He also has a certificate of participation in the 2011 National Games where he represented Uttar Pradesh.
7. Nb Sub Jitu Rai first started shooting in the Army’s shooting squad in 2010-11 but failed to live up to expectations. He was subsequently sent back to his unit, putting an end to his training at the Army Markmanship Unit in Mhow.
8. Nb Sub Jitu Rai has various feats to his name which include:

• Silver Medal, 10 metre air pistol event in 2014 at the ISSF World Cup in Munich.
• Silver Medal, 50 metre pistol event and Gold Medal, 10 metre air pistol event in Maribor.
• 3 medals in nine days at the World Cup and first person to have won two medals at a single world cup for India.
• He was ranked number 1 in the world, in 10 metre air pistol and number 4, in 50 metre pistol, as of July 2014.
• Gold medal and games record in the qualification round of the 50 metre pistol event in 2014 Commonwealth Games scoring 562 points.
• Gold medal in the 50 m pistol category in the 2014 Asian Games at Incheon, South Korea.
• He also won a bronze in the men’s 10 m air pistol team event at Incheon.
• In 2016, he won a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup held in Baku, Azerbaijan in the 10m Air Pistol event.

Today, the whole country looks up to this Gorkha Soldier in a hope of bringing a medal home.