Abhinav Deshwal: Conquering hearing impairment to level the playing field

India has a plethora of shooters. A lot of them are world class. Several are teenagers and it isn't uncommon to see some register astonishing scores.

But what is unheard of is a hearing impaired shooter giving able-bodied competitors a run for their money.

That is the journey which 18-year-old Abhinav Deshwal is charting.

Representing the host state Uttarakhand at the 2025 National Games, Abhinav finished just outside the podium in the 10m air pistol mixed team event, losing the bronze medal in a play-off.

Days before, the 18-year-old had also finished 15th in the men's 10m air pistol qualification round with a score of 574. And that was impressive given that Jonatan Gavin, who eventually won gold, shot 578 to nab the eighth and final qualification spot.

Early days

Abhinav was born prematurely and soon contact meningitis – an infection of the membranes which cover the brain and spinal cord. He was just four-month old when doctors detected that he was completely deaf in one ear and only had about 15% hearing in the other.

A cochlear implant four years later did help a young Abhinav to recover some of his hearing abilities but by then his speech was severely affected.

Abhinav tool to shooting in August 2018 when he was just over 10 years of age. The pre-teen went on to win a bronze medal in his first state competition just a fortnight later and thus began his journey.

"He had problems hearing and speaking. I was of the opinion if he can't do well academically, we need to look at other options," said Manoj Deshwal, Abhinav's father, speaking to the media minutes after his son's bronze medal play-off loss.

The other option, indeed, was shooting – a sport his elder sister pursued as well.

Saurabh Chaudhary and Deaflympics

Abhinav soon fell in love with the sport and looks up to Saurabh Chaudhary – the Indian shooting phenom, who competed at the delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

He was so impressed by Chaudhary that he made his way to Amit Saroha – the coach who trained Chaudhary during his early days – to improve his game during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Though Chaudhary suffered a massive heartbreak in Tokyo, Abhinav had no such qualms months later at the 2021 Deaflympics, winning the men's 10m air pistol gold in Caxias do Sul, Brazil.

"Communication is an issue [for him]," said Manoj. "It takes time for the coach to explain the intricacies of the sport to him but it is manageable.

"He has got a good mind sense. He is able to grasp things quickly just through his observational skills," the father added.

Financial woes

Currently training under Jaspal Rana – the coach of double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker – Abhinav struggles to woo sponsors. The only financial assistance he has had so far has been government rewards for his Deaflympics medal.

His father Manoj used to run a coaching centre but has now dropped it completely to support him through competitions.

Despite the financial concerns and the humongous expenses shooting as a sport brings, Abhinav - according to his father - has just a solitary dream.

"He just wants to win more and more medals for India."