Manish Narwal All you need to know – Early life, achievements and more

Picture Credit: Twitter/@SAI

The Indian contingent is looking in fine form at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. While they have already made this the country's best performance to date in the history of the Paralympics, they are in no mood to stop for now. Another addition came in the medal tally on Saturday when Manish Narwal won gold and in the mixed 50m pistol SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics.

Moreover, it was his compatriot Singhraj Adana who bagged the silver which meant India won two medals in the event which is a proud moment for all the Indian fans following the sport. Narwal's gold meant this was India's third gold medal at the ongoing Paralympic Games after Avani Lekhara in the women's 10m air rifle standing SH1 event and Sumit Antil in the men's javelin throw F64 category.

Post his historic achievement, here are all the details you might be curious to know about Manish Narwal who has had quite a journey leading up to his Paralympics debut in which he has struck gold.

Name: Manish Narwal

Age: 19 Years

Born on: 17 October 2001

Hails From: Faridabad, Haryana

Profession: Shooter

Coach: Subhash Rana

Hobbies: Watching football and movies

Idol: Sprinter Usain Bolt, Footballer Lionel Messi

Early life & Achievements: While he aspired to be a footballer much like his idol Lionel Messi from Argentina, a congenital ailment in his right hand meant he could not quite fulfill his ambition. However, destiny had other plans for Narwal as with the constant support from his father Manish ventured into other sports and found his niche in the shooting. He began shooting in 2016 in Ballabhgarh, India. He dominated the national level shooting championships winning an astounding 19 medals from 2016 to 19. He had already aimed for the gold medal for the 2020 Paralympic Games and that's exactly what he has achieved in the postponed event at Tokyo.

Quotes: "I always wanted to be a footballer as I loved outdoor sport. But due to my impairment, I couldn't play the game beyond local club level. A close friend of my father told him to think about introducing me to shooting. My father took me to the 10X Shooting Academy in Ballabgarh [India], run by coach Rakesh Thakur. Had he not been there, I wouldn't have excelled in the sport. I owe my success to him. " (From International Paralympic Committee's website)