Rajeshwari Kumari

Rajeshwari Kumari
Personal information
NationalityIndian
Born (1991-12-10) 10 December 1991 (age 32)
Delhi, India
Alma materManav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies
Occupations
  • Sports shooter
  • fashion designer
SpouseMehtab Singh (m. 2013)
Parent(s)Randhir Singh (father)
Vinita Singh (mother)
Medal record
Women's shooting
Representing  India
Asian Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Hangzhou Women's trap team
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Abu Dhabi Trap team

Ria Rajeshwari Kumari (born 10 December 1991) is an Indian sports shooter and fashion designer. Kumari is a trap shooter and has won medals in both domestic and international competitions.[1][2] She won the silver medal at the Women's trap team event in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.[3] In 2024, competed in the Women's trap event in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[4] As of 2024, she is the 9th ranked women's trap shooter in the world.[5] Kumari is a co-founder of Saurab Rajeshwari, a luxury Indian clothing and embroidery brand founded in 2021.[6]

Early life and background

Ria Rajeshwari Kumari was born on 10 December 1991 in Delhi, India. Kumari is the daughter of sports administrator and former Olympic-level trap shooter Randhir Singh and Vinita Singh.[7] She is the paternal granddaughter of Bhalindra Singh and the great-granddaughter of Maharaja Bhupinder Singh of Patiala.[8] She attended university at Manav Rachna International Institute of Research and Studies.[9] She Completed her graduation from Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi.

Shooting career

Kumari started her trap shooting career sometime before 2014.[2][10] In November 2014, she won a bronze medal at the National Shotgun Championship in Patiala, Punjab, beating Shreyasi Singh for the medal.[10] In February 2015, she won a silver medal at the National Shooting Championships, held in New Delhi, India.[2] During the 63rd National Shotgun Shooting Championship in 2019, Kumari shot a national record 118 out of 125 in the qualifications, and eventually won a silver medal.[11] In 2021, she won a gold medal at the Asian Online Shooting Championship in New Delhi.[12] Also in 2021, she won a silver medal in the team trap event at the 2021 ISSF World Cup in Cairo, Egypt, along with Kirti Gupta and Manisha Keer.[1]

In 2022, Kumari began being coached by David Kostelecký, a Czech shooter who won two Olympic medals.[13] At the National Shooting Championships in 2022, Kumari shot the highest score in the qualification round, shooting 116 out of 125, however she lost in the semifinals of the competition.[14][15] In March 2023, Kumari shot a score of 107 and came 46th in the Doha, Qatar, stage of the 2023 ISSF World Cup.[16] In April 2023, she won the T3 Shotgun National Selection Trials in Delhi.[17] In May 2023, Kumari came 14th in the Cairo stage of the 2023 ISSF World Cup.[18][19]

In June 2023, Kumari shot a score of 111 in the finals of the 4th National Shotgun Selection Trials in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and qualified for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, which were delayed to 2023 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in China.[20][21][22] In August 2023, Kumari finished fifth in the ISSF World Championship in Baku, Azerbaijan, and won a quota place for India in the Women's trap event in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.[23][24] With her quota win, which was the seventh 2024 Summer Olympics quota win in shooting for India, Kumari became the second Indian woman to ever win an Olympic quota place in the Women’s trap event.[24][25] In early October 2023, Kumari won the silver medal in the Women's trap team event in the 2022 Asian Games.[26][27] In late October 2023, she finished in 7th place at the 2023 Asian Shooting Championships in Seoul, South Korea.[28] In November 2023, Kumari won a gold medal in the 2023 National Games of India.[29]

In March 2024, Kumari qualified for the Women's trap event in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[30] In April 2024, she was selected for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports' (MYAS) Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), which assists athletes in their preparations for Olympic Games competitions.[31][32] In 2024, Kumari was ranked 9th in the world.[5] In the run-up to the 2024 Summer Olympics, Kumari began to train in Italy with her coach, Kostelecký.[33] In June 2024, Kumari was officially selected to be part of India's shotgun team for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[34] The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports also covered the expenses for Kumari's 2024 Summer Olympics training in the Czech Republic with her coach Kostelecký, as well as in Italy and France.[35] For two years, up until the middle of 2024, Kumari also worked with an eye and vision coach to improve her shooting abilities.[36]

In July 2024, during the Women's trap event at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Kumari finished in 22nd place with a score of 113 out of 125, and failed to qualify for the final round.[37]

Fashion career

In 2021, Kumari co-founded Saurab Rajeshwari, a luxury Indian clothing and embroidery brand based on traditional Patiala-style Punjabi fashion, with her childhood friend Saurabh Aggarwal.[6] Saurab Rajeshwari's clothes are handmade.[6] The brand's clothing has been worn by Bollywood actress, Preity Zinta.[38] In December 2022, Kumari was featured on Jasbir Jassi's song, 'Lehenga', and the song was also a collaboration between Jassi and Saurab Rajeshwari.[39][40]

Personal life

Kumari is married to Mehtab Singh. She and Singh married in 2013.[7]

References

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  2. ^ a b c Prasad, Vishnu (3 February 2015). "Like Father, Like Daughter". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  3. ^ Khanna, Bharat (2 October 2023). "Like father, like daughter: Shooter repeats family feat". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 19 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Paris Olympics, Day 5: Why India is unlikely to win a medal at the Games today". The Indian Express. 31 July 2024. Archived from the original on 3 August 2024. Retrieved 3 August 2024.
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  6. ^ a b c Khanna, Anshu (2 December 2021). "Handcrafted and heritage driven: this label from the house of Patiala recreates the grandeur of regal Punjab". The Daily Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
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  12. ^ "OCA » Ria Kumari follows in footsteps of dad and Indian shooting legend Raja Randhir Singh". Olympic Council of Asia. 1 February 2021. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
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  18. ^ ANI (4 May 2023). "Bhowneesh, Prithviraj, Rajeshwari in line to qualify at Cairo". ANI. Archived from the original on 14 May 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2023.
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  23. ^ PTI (24 August 2023). "Trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari earns India its seventh Olympic quota". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  24. ^ a b Scroll Staff (25 August 2023). "Shooting World C'ships: Trap shooter Rajeshwari Kumari wins a seventh 2024 Olympic quota for India". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 24 October 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  25. ^ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (24 August 2023). "ISSF World Championships 2023: Rajeshwari Kumari secures India's seventh Paris 2024 Olympics quota in shooting". Olympics. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  26. ^ IANS (1 October 2023). "Asian Games: Patiala royal family's Rajeshwari Kumari emulates father Randhir Singh by winning silver in Trap team competition". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  27. ^ India Today Sports Desk (1 October 2023). "Asian Games 2023: India win silver in women's trap team event in shooting". India Today. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
  28. ^ Nalwala, Ali Asgar. (30 October 2023). "Asian Shooting Championships 2023: Anish Bhanwala secures Paris 2024 Olympic quota for India". Olympics. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
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  31. ^ SportzConnect (3 April 2024). "3 shooters and 1 para-badminton player added to Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) core group". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 4 April 2024. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
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  34. ^ PTI (19 June 2024). "Indian shotgun team for Paris Oly announced". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  35. ^ Agrawal, Meeth (25 June 2024). "Sports Ministry approves financial assistance for shooter Rajeshwari Kumari ahead of Paris Olympics 2024". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 17 July 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  36. ^ Nair, Shashank (25 July 2024). "Paris Olympics: Rajeshwari Kumari a better trap shooter after two-year work with vision coach". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 August 2024.
  37. ^ Sarkar, Sattyik (31 July 2024). "Women's trap participants Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh bow out of Paris Olympics 2024". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
  38. ^ Balani, Ayushi (14 October 2022). "Katrina Kaif, Sonam Kapoor to Shilpa Shetty - The Best Celeb Looks on Karwa Chauth 2022". Pinkvilla. Archived from the original on 23 November 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2022.
  39. ^ Tarar, Aditya (10 December 2022). "Trending news: 'Dil Le Gayi' fame Jasbir Jassi's new track 'Lehnga' created a buzz, the song is composed in collaboration with sports shooter Rajeshwari Kumari". Hindustan News Hub. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  40. ^ Newsroom Odisha Network (7 December 2022). "'Dil Le Gayi' fame Jasbir Jassi drops new track in collaboration with Rajeshwari Kumari". News Room Odisha. Archived from the original on 29 December 2022. Retrieved 29 December 2022. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)