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In a sport like shooting traditionally considered the fiefdom of men, Anjali Bhagwat's emergence as an ace shooter has been like a whiff of fresh air. Anjali's achievements have inspired a horde of young women to take up the sport of shooting.
Anjali's first brush with shooting occurred during her stint as a cadet in the National Cadet Corps (NCC). In 1990, under the guidance of Sanjay Chakravarthy, Anjali clinched her maiden national title and since then there has been no looking back.
In the 2000 Sydney Olympics, competing as a last-minute wildcard Anjali put up a spirited effort to become only the second Indian woman to reach an Olympic final and ended a creditable seventh. At the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, Anjali grabbed four gold medals at the 10 meter Air Rifle and 50 meter Rifle 3-position events.
In recognition to her sterling achievements, Anjali was honoured with India's highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, jointly with sprinter K. M. Beenamol.
