Sajneet held a gun in her hands for the first time, in 2011, while she was in school. Since, at that time the only event introduced in her school was the 10 meter air rifle, that is where she began! She used her coach’s rifle to qualify for the nationals and other competitions till 2012. By 2013, Sajneet realized her growing skills and bought her own weapon. She continued with the air rifle and then finally switched to Shotgun (Trap) in August 2014.
There was no looking back from there on...
While there was potential to grow further and to newer heights, expenses associated with her shooting career were equally high. Her financial resources, were way to short of her needs and so Sajneet had to slow down, most of 2017!
Once Sajneet is part of the Indian National team, the Sports Authority of India will sponsor the core group or the top 6 qualifiers. Most of the above expenses will be covered by them.
| Sajneet’s shooting Expenses - 2018. | |||
| S.No | Expenses | Per Day (US $) | Per Annum (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Coach’s Fees | $100.00 (Minimum 15 days) |
$18,000.00 |
| 2. | Importing Cartridges (30000) | NA | $13,000.00 |
| 3. | Other equipment (Glasses, Jacket, Gun parts, & misc) | NA | $1,200.00 |
| 4. | Shooting Range Membership, New Delhi, India |
$2.00 | $720.00 |
| 5. | Travel only (Boarding & Lodging: NA) |
$20.00 (Travel cost from Punjab to Delhi) |
$7,200.00 |
| 6. | Importing of Clay Targets (100000) | NA | $2,000.00 |
| 7. | Competition fees | 3 competitions in 2018 | $600 |
| Total | $42,720.00 | ||
She qualified for her first National Championship in Trap in December 2014 using her coach’s gun, as she could not afford a shotgun, which was to be imported from overseas. Further encouraged by her growing skills, her kind Uncle & Aunt helped her financially to import her first new gun and 15000 cartridges from Cyprus in March 2015. She then started training under P S Sodhi, the renowned coach of the Indian team .
Sajneet won her first Gold medal in 2015 at the All India Inter University. This led to her participation in the International arena, which is far more competitive. World University Games in Korea, followed by the World University Championship in Bydgoszcz, Poland, where she won silver for her team, followed by an individual silver in junior category in the national championship 2016.
Her achievements so far:
| Sl. No. | Name of Competitions | Year of participation | Acheivements |
| 1. | G.V Malankar Shooting Champtionship (Pre-Nationals) | 2014 | Gold Medal |
| 2. | 58th National Shooting Chapionship(Shotgun) | 2014 | - |
| 3. | Junior Indian Team Trails | 2014-2015 | - |
| 4. | All India inter university Shooting championship. | 2015 | Gold Medal |
| 5. | 28th Summer Universiade 2015 (World University Games) Gwanju, Republic of Korea | 2015 | - |
| 6. | 59th National Shooting Championship.(Shotgun) | 2015 | Team Silver |
| 7. | Junior Indian Team Trials | 2015-2016 | - |
| 8. | World University Games, Bydgoszcz, Poland | 2016 | Team Silver |
| 9. | 60th National Shooting Championship (Shotgun) | 2016 | Silver Medal. |
| 10. | Senior Indian Team Trials. | 2017 | - |
| 11. | All India Inter University Shooting Championship. | 2017 | Team silver. |
Calendar for shotgun events in India 2018-19
- 62nd National Shooting Championship Competitions, Delhi, India :- November 16 to 30, 2018
- Selection Trials 1 & 2 for Senior Shotgun Shooters, Delhi, India:- December 15 to 24, 2018
- Coaching Camp for Senior Shotgun National Squad Shooters, Delhi, India:- February 1 to 12, 2019
- Training Camp for Senior Shotgun Shooters selected for ISSF World Cup, Mexico:- March 5 to 14, 2019 ISSF
- March 15 to 25, 2019: World Cup, Mexico
There is a Minimum Qualifying Score (MQS) in the Nationals for eligibility to trials of the Indian Team. http://www.thenrai.in/About_us.aspx?link=3
Link to the Indian shooting calendar, and the official website of National Rifle Association Of India (NRAI).
http://www.thenrai.in/shooting_calander.aspx>What is NRAI?
International Competitions.
The calendar for shotgun events 2019 is yet to be scheduled. The link to the 2019 calendar 2019 on the official website of the International Shooting Sports Federation(ISSF) is http://www.issf-sports.org/calendar.ashx