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Medal record
Competitor for  India
Men's shooting
Olympic Games
Silver	2004 Athens	Double trap
Commonwealth Games
Gold	2006 Melbourne	Double trap
Silver	2006 Melbourne	Double trap pairs
Asian Games
Bronze	2006 Doha	Double trap
Silver	2006 Doha	Double trap teams

Lt. Col. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (born January 29, 1970 in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan) is an Indian shooter who won the silver medal in Men's Double Trap at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens.^[1] He is the first Indian to win an individual silver, after Norman Pritchard who won two silver medals at the 1900 Paris Olympics.^[2]

Career

Rathore was born in a Kshatriya (Rajput) community.

In the 2004 Athens Olympics Rathore finished fifth in the qualification round with 135 points, behind eventual gold medal winner Ahmed Al Maktoum's 144. Håkan Dahlby (138) and Wang Zheng (137) were placed second and third while Waldemar Schanz's score of 135 was equal with Rathore. Rathore scored 46, 43 and 46 in each of rounds.

In the finals, Rathore scored 44, second best behind Almaktoum's 45 giving him a total of 179, ten behind Almaktoum but one ahead of Wang Zheng's 178.

Rathore's silver was India's best individual Olympic performance post Indian Independence. In the numerous Olympic Games, India could not go beyond a Bronze Medal (Leander Paes, Tennis, 1996 Olympics; Karnam Malleshwari, Weight Lifting, 2000 Olympics), Rathore is credited for reviving the self belief of millions of Indians by his Silver Medal win. This Silver Medal win was a turning point in the history of Indian Olympic Sports.

In the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, he won the Individual Gold Medal setting a new Commonwealth Games Record, 192 targets out of 200, which still stands. He also won the Team Gold Medal with (Moraad Ali Khan). Rathore, went on to successfully defend his Commonwealth Champion title by winning the Gold Medal at the (Melbourne) Commonwealth Games in 2006. He also won the Silver in the Team event with (Vikram Bhatnagar). He has won Gold Medals in two World Cup Shooting Competitions, in (Sydney) 2004 and (Cairo) 2006. In 2006 he won the Bronze Medal in the World Cup Final in (Spain) (an event only for the top 12 shooters of the world). He was ranked no 3 in the world for the most of the year of 2003 and 2004 and briefly went on to be the world no 1 in early 2004 and the world no 2 after the Athens Olympics. He also won a world Championship Bronze Medal in 2003 after a gap of nearly 40 years (earlier in 1962 Karni Singh of Bikaner had won a silver medal in the World shooting Championship in Cairo). Incidentally Rathore too belongs to the family of Bikaner. Rajyavardhan is accredited for winning the Asian Clay Target Gold Medal for four times in a row, year 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also holds an Individual Bronze Medal which he won in Doha, Asian Games 2006.In all, from the period of 2002 to 2006 he had won 25 International Medals in highly competitive competitions in his sport of Doubletrap Shooting.

Rathore failed to qualify for the finals of the Men's Double Trap event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, placing 15th in the qualification round.^[3]

He is a now a Colonel in the Indian Army. An alumnus of National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla Pune (N.D.A)

To read his recent elaborate interview follow this link .Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's Interview (Nov. 2009)

Awards and Recognitions

• 2003-2004 - Arjuna award
• 2004-2005 - the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna (highest sporting honour of India).
• Rathore is a recipient of the Padma Shri, a civilian award from the Government of India
• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM), a non-gallantry award for exceptional service, presented by the government. He is the first officer (from the Indian Army) below the rank of brigadier to be awarded the AVSM.
• Rathore was the chosen flag bearer for India during the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.^[4]

See also

• List of Rajputs

References

• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore's Recent interview
• "Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore", No 55 on Time’s list of "100 Olympic Athletes To Watch"
• Weblog maintained by Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore for the 2008 Beijing Olympics
• Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore Images & Videos