Ronjan Sodhi Biography: Ronjan Sodhi is one of the famous Double Trap shooters from India. Ronjan has been an exceptional force in the shooting world but is yet to achieve an Olympic or a World Championship medal to speak for his heroism. Besides, the Indian shooter holds an Asian Games gold, which has been won only by two other Indian shooters in individual events- Randhir Singh and Jaspal Rana.
EARLY LIFE
Twenty-one years ago, lack of proper schooling in their village had forced his parents to send the young Ronjan Sodhi to study in Delhi where he started his shooting journey. His parents have always supported Ronjan in every phase.
Ronjan Sodhi is the only shooter to have earned the gold medal in World Cup Finals twice. After a disappointing performance at the London Olympics, he gathered some pride and self-belief by winning the silver medal in the World Cup Finals.
PERSONAL LIFE
Ronjan Sodhi was born on 23 October 1979 in Ferozepur, Punjab, India. His younger brother, Birendeep Sodhi is also Trap shooter. His father, Malwinder Singh Sodhi asked Ronjan to switch from trap to double trap in order to avoid competition at home. As an elder brother, Ronjan sacrificed the trap. When he was in the 10th class, his father took him to Karni Singh for the first time. Ronjan’s father was a farmer in Ferozepur in Punjab. Malwinder Singh was also a keen shooter but could not take up the sport professionally because of the lack of infrastructure. But he took Ronjan to the family farm and the two had fun shooting targets from a small clay-target machine. Ronjan then moved to Delhi for his schooling and he lived in a hostel. Since Delhi had an excellent shooting range, Ronjan’s father decided to enrol him in a shooting range.
Ronjan decided his career in shooting after he completed his MBA. But for him, it was really a difficult decision of his life as he knew that there was little money in the sport. But his dad encouraged & pushed him to take up the sport.
His decision paid off in 2007 when Ronjan earned his first international medal. He clinched a bronze medal at the ISSF Santo Domingo World Cup. In 2008, he started hitting record scores, winning his first World Cup at Belgrade, and rapidly rose up the rankings.
In 2005, he married Ruchika Sodhi whom he met in Delhi. He is also a father to a 10-year-old son named Suryaveer.
PROFESSIONAL LIFE
2010 Lonato ISSF World Cup: Ronjan shot a perfect 50 hits out of 50 clays in the final and set a new world record with a total score of 195 to earn the desired Gold Medal in Double Trap event at the ISSF World Cup in Lonato, Italy.
2010 Commonwealth Games: In 2010, Ronjan earned the Platinum Medal in the Men’s Double Trap Singles. Sodhi along with Asher Noria also clinched the silver medal in Men’s Double Trap Pairs. They lose gold medal to the champions Steven Walton & Steven Scott by one point.
2010 Asian Games: Ronjan scored 186 and managed to earn the gold medal in the Men’s Double Trap discipline at the 2010 Asian Games. He also clinched the bronze medal in the Men’s Double Trap Team.
2011 Beijing ISSF World Cup: Ronjan scored 183 hits. He scored 144 in the qualifications and 41 hits in the final and earned a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup 2011 in Beijing, China. Thus, he won an Olympic berth for India.
2011 Maribor ISSF World Cup: Ronjan won a bronze medal at the ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia.
ISSF World Rankings: Ronjan became the only Indian marksman to attain the top spot in the latest ISSF World Rankings. Sodhi who was earlier ranked second behind American Joshua Richmond by three points achieved the summit by virtue of his Bronze Medal-winning feat at the World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia.
2011 Al Ain ISSF World Cup: Ronjan earned the gold medal at the ISSF World Cup in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. Hu Binuyuan of China came second.
2012 London Olympics: Ronjan qualified for the men’s double trap event at the London Olympics 2012 after clinching a silver medal in the event at the ISFF World Cup 2011 in Beijing. After a promising start at Olympics, the Indian shooter was unable to make it to the finals of Double Trap. Ronjan finished at the 11th place with a total score of 134 in the qualification. Sodhi started off on a good note by acquiring a total score of 48 in the first round of the qualification stage & topping the list along with three other shooters. After the second round, his total score of 92 out of 100 placed him on the 6th place which was still good for one to make into the finals. In the third & final round, he started off good but couldn’t finish and was unable to handle the pressure. He scored only 2 points in the last 6 with a total of 42.
AWARDS
- Arjuna Award for Shooting in 2009
- CNN-IBN Indian of the year in 2011
- Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award in 2013.
ACHIEVEMENTS
COMMONWEALTH GAMES
- Silver: 2010, New Delhi: Double Trap
- Silver: 2010, New Delhi: Men’s Double Trap pairs
ASIAN GAMES
- Gold: 2010, Guangzhou: Double Trap
- Bronze: 2010, Guangzhou: Men’s Double Trap pairs
ISSF WORLD CUP FINAL
- Gold: 2010, Izmir: Double Trap
- Gold: 2011, Al Ain: Double Trap
- Silver: 2012, Maribor: Double Trap
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Name: Ronjan Sodhi
Nickname: Ronjan Sodhi
Sport: Sport Shooting
Event: Double Trap
Club: Firozpur District Rifle Association
Country: India
Father’s name: Malwinder Singh Sodhi
Mother’s name: NOT UPDATED
Younger brother: Birendeep Sodhi
Wife’s name: Ruchika Sodhi
Son: Suryaveer
Coach: Morrad A. Khan & Marcello Dradi
Highest Rank: 1
Handedness: Right
Master Eye: Right
Height: 175 cm (5’ 68”)
Weight: 87 kg (191 lbs)
Higher Education: MBA
Eye colour: Black
Hair colour: Black
Date of birth: 23 October 1979
Age: 39
Birth Place: Ferozepur, Punjab, India
Zodiac sign: Scorpio
Nationality: Indian
Hometown: Ferozepur
Religion: Sikh
CONTROVERSY:
World champion shooter Ronjan Sodhi’s name was recommended for the Khel Ratna award in 2013 that sparked controversy with some members of the panel questioning the process of his selection. Apart from this, he has hit headlines for his glorious performances & achievements.
NET WORTH:
The primary net worth and income of Ronjan Sodhi comes from his work in the police department and also his sporting profession. His aggregated net worth is yet to be updated.
SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES:
FACEBOOK- https://www.facebook.com/RonjanSodhiOfficial/
INSTAGRAM- NOT ACTIVE
TWITTER- https://twitter.com/iamronjansodhi
