At the recently concluded Asian Shooting Championships in Kazakhstan, Anthra Rajsekar, the daughter of noted producer Rajsekar Pandian, won the bronze medal at the event's Youth Women's Trap Shooting competition.
Rajsekar Pandian, as part of 2D Entertainments, has backed films like 24 (2016), Soorarai Pottru (2020), Jai Bhim (2021), and most recently, Karthik Subbaraj's Retro (2025), starring Suriya and Pooja Hegde, which was directed by Karthik Subburaj.
Not many might know this, but the apple didn't fall too far from the tree when it came to Anthra's interest in the sport. "I've been shooting for six years now, and it was my father who encouraged me to start, back in 2019," says the champion shooter. Interestingly, Rajsekar was a National level skeet shooter, and prides in his daughter's achievement that has not only brought pride to his home, but also to the state of Tamil Nadu, and the country.
"Initially Anthra was competing with my equipment, but once she became a Renowned Shot, we were able to get equipment that suited her fit, which improved her performance," says the proud father, adding, "I hope this streak continues, because the ultimate aim is for Anthra to compete at the LA Olympics in 2028."
The Asian Shooting Championship was held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan, between August 16 and August 30. In the same event where Anthra won her bronze, the gold medal went to Tanisska and the silver medal went to Nilaa Raaja Balu. The women's youth team also won a gold medal at the team event for Trap shooting.
It was an extraordinary haul for Indians at this level of the competition as India's Yugan SM and Ali Syed Ahyaan won the Gold and Bronze medal, respectively, in the Trap Youth Men individual category. India also won the Gold in the Youth Men Team category. We also came back with Gold in the Trap Youth Mixed Event (Yugan and Tanisska), and the team of Anthra and Ali Syed Ahyaan were placed 2nd.
