Uma Mahesh wins gold medal at FISU World University Championship

With the medal, the 20-year-old young prodigy from Olympic medalist Gagan Narang's Gun for Glory Academy, added yet another medal to his tally, which also includes prestigious accolades such as two ISSF World Cup gold medals and an Asian Championship gold medal, among several others.

Uma, who hails from city of Vijaywada in Andhra Pradesh, comes from a supportive family with parents who have championed his journey in shooting from the very beginning. His father, Maddineni Rama Krishna, a contractor by profession, introduced him to the sport after recognizing his son's fascination with the sport. After seeing the shooting being featured in the news, he believed his son could have a future career in the same. Uma's mother, Maddineni Manjula, has also been a constant source of encouragement. Together, they have ensured Uma had access to all necessary resources and training facilities.

Trained by the ace shooting coach Neha Chavan, Uma is also a part of the Project Leap program of the Gun for Glory Academy. The project aims to bring out the best in athletes by focusing on the holistic development of Technical, Physical & Mental aspects of the sport. The goal of this multi-faceted approach is to ensure promising results at the national as well as international levels.

"My coach Neha Chavan is the one who has always stayed with me and helped me throughout my support as a coach and a guardian. I am also a part of Project Leap, a flagship program, which has played a major role in improving my shooting and nourishing my skills. I would like to thank Gagan sir and Gun for Glory academy for this opportunity, which has positively impacted my performances over the years," said Uma while thanking the academy, his coach and Narang for their constant support and guidance.

The 2012 Olympics bronze medalist Gagan Narang praised Uma for his achievement and said, "We are extremely proud to have players like Uma in our academy, who are making the nation proud on the international stage. His dedication to the sport and focus on the goal has always inspired him to train harder and with the support from the Project Leap program, he has smartly polished his strengths and worked extensively to improve his weaknesses. The aim of the Gun for Glory is to find such talent and guide them towards attaining professional excellence. We are elated that shooters like Uma are helping the academy achieve its goal and are making the entire nation proud."(ANI)