At 48, I’ve just got started: Zoravar Singh Sandhu after winning ISSF World C'ships medal

When Zoravar Singh Sandhu returned home from the 2025 ISSF Shotgun World Championships with a bronze medal, ending the 31-year wait for his first world championships medal, his children were quick to let their preference known.

"Papa, bronze is good, but gold would have been better," opined his 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter almost in tandem.

They echoed the thoughts of 48-year-old trap shooter Zoravar who not only became one of the oldest to win a world championships medal but also brought home only the third individual world championship medal in trap after Karni Singh (1962) and Manavjit Singh Sandhu (2006). 

"I have a raw, obsessive drive. It’s like a fire in my belly that keeps me going," an elated Zoravar told The Bridge.

The bronze medal came 31 years after Zoravar shot his first junior world championship and 27 years after he shot at his first senior worlds in Barcelona in 1998. Zoravar had finished 15th in the men’s trap then, his best World Championship result.

In 2017, at the ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, Zoravar was fourth. He last won a World Cup medal in 2007, a bronze in Changwon.

Speaking on what drives him after so many years of training without big wins, Zoravar said, “Passion drives me more than anything else, and even though I started late, I know that beginning now is what counts. Pressure is a privilege that few get to experience, and I absolutely thrive on that adrenaline rush.”

"This is just the beginning. The medal makes me hungrier to do more for my country, my team, and myself. The medal changes nothing. My process continues, regardless of recognition. At 48, I feel stronger than ever, and after 31 years of dedication, I know this is just the beginning. I always remind myself and my children that small steps eventually lead to larger achievements," he said.

Zoravar, along with Rudrankksh Patil, was nominated for the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) People’s Choice Award on Wednesday. The winner will be revealed during the opening ceremony of the 2025 ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar on December 5.

While his bronze at the Malakasa range in Athens is a historic achievement, Zoravar sees it as motivation to aim higher. He has his eyes set on the World Cup Final, Asian Games, and the Olympics.

"I focus on what I can control today, knowing that nothing is guaranteed but effort is everything. My long-term goals include the Olympics and Asian Games, yet my priority is to do what I can now,” he pointed.

With shooting deeply rooted in his family, Zoravar represents the third generation of shooters in his lineage and he isn’t winding down, he’s just getting started.