Vadodara: At an age when most sportspersons step away from competitive arenas, veteran Gujarat shooter Rohit Panchal from Anand continues to raise the bar in Indian shooting.The 68-year-old recently scripted a rare national double at the 68th National Shooting Championship in Delhi, while also completing a hat-trick of earning the prestigious “Renowned Shooter of India” title — underlining his sustained elite performance across disciplines. Panchal won medals in two distinct weapon categories — a rare feat at the national level. Competing in the Senior Master (60+ years) category, he clinched the gold in Clay Pigeon Double Trap (Senior Master Men – Individual) and secured a bronze in the 50-metre Pistol (Senior Master Men – Individual) event, showcasing his ability to excel in both shotgun and pistol disciplines.Remarkably, Panchal competed in five events at the nationals — three pistol and two trap competitions, a breadth of participation uncommon for athletes at this level.The “Renowned Shooter of India” title is awarded to shooters who achieve the prescribed Minimum Qualifying Score (MQS) at National Championships. Panchal first earned it in 2007 in the .32 pistol event. In 2012, he became the first shooter from Gujarat to win the title in Trap shooting at the Jaipur nationals. His latest achievement at the 68th edition completes a hat-trick of this coveted recognition.Panchal’s career is studded with milestones. In 2018, he won Gujarat’s first-ever All-India level medal in Shotgun Trap Shooting, securing silver in the Veteran Men category. Two years later, at the 66th National Shooting Championship in Delhi, he set a national record in single trap shooting by hitting 114 out of 125 clay targets, surpassing the previous record of 107.His excellence spans all three shooting disciplines — shotgun, pistol, and rifle. More than two decades ago, he set a Gujarat State Shooting Championship record with a score of 552/600 in the .22 Rifle Open Sight, Prone Position (50 metres), a record that still stands in 2026. Over the course of his national career, Panchal has amassed 20 medals — five gold, seven silver, and eight bronze.Panchal’s journey began in 1972 through the National Cadet Corps with the 13th Gujarat Battalion in Vallabh Vidyanagar. He took up competitive shooting seriously in 1990 and steadily progressed through district, state, and national levels.Committed to nurturing future talent, Panchal is the founder-secretary of the Anand District Rifle Shooting Association. “We set up modern facilities—including an imported 10-metre shooting range—at D N High School, which allows several young shooters, including many girls, to progress to district and state squads in air pistol and air rifle events,” he said.
