Sporting Career

Princess Rajyshree Kumari :

She comes from a very long line of great shooters. Her great grandfather Maharaja Ganga Singhji as well as her grandfather Maharaja Sadul Singhji were keen shooters and went on several hunting expeditions within India as well as outside India. Her father Maharaja Dr. Karni Singhji of Bikaner represented India in five Olympics, five world-shooting championships and numerous other national and international shooting championships.

Card image cap
Card image cap

Following the Bikaner family tradition of shooting, her father trained her in this sport at a very young age, winning her first competition at the age of 7 years. She stands unrivalled in target shooting. She was declared “Sportsperson of the year” and was awarded the much-coveted trophy “ARJUNA AWARD” in 1969 when she was only 16 years old. This award is the highest acclaim that India can give to its sportsmen and sportswomen for outstanding achievement.

YEAR-WISE ACHIEVEMENTS

1960 At the age of seven she had the unique distinction of winning the National Air Rifle Championship in the below twelve years of age junior section.
1963 At the age of ten she beat all competitors in all age group in air rifle shooting and won the open championship trophy.
1965 At the age of twelve she again won air rifle shooting open championship trophy in all age group.
1967 At the age of 14 at the All India Selection Trials held at Ahmedabad during the year 1967 she set a new All India record of 358/400 in Air Rifle Shooting by beating her nearest rival, an army man, by a big margin of 33 points. Her score 358/400 set at Ahmedabad is the highest score shot in the standing position set by any Indian. In Japan in 1967 still at the age of 14 she own the 21st place. In this competition she was the only woman competitor and a junior.
1968 At the 13th National Shooting Championship held in Madras in 1968, Princess Rajyashree Kumari at the age of 15 won all the items in which she entered and won the largest number of gold medals in shooting.
1969 At the 14th National Shooting Championships held at Bhopal in February 1969 Princess Rajyashree Kumari competed for Ladies Olympic Clay Pigeon Trap event and secured 77/100 which score is equal to the score of third position holder in the World Shooting Championship held at Bologna in 1967. She captained the Bikaner Thunderbolts Rifle Club at Bhopal Nationals and won the team Olympic trap championships and finished second in the Ladies Clay Pigeon trap shooting championship.
1969 At the selection trials held at Delhi for the San Sebastian (Spain) World Shooting Championship Princess Rajyashree secured 82/100 in Clay Pigeon Traps, which is equal to the second position score of the Bologna World Shooting Championships Ladies Trap 1967 score. She was named Sportsperson of the year in 1969 and was also awarded the Arjuna Award in shooting this year by the President of India, Mr. V.V. Giri.
1970 At 15th the National Shooting Championship in 1970, she scored 92 out of 100 in Trapshooting (I.R.). This national record established by her when she was only 17 years old is still unbeaten.
1971 During the 16th National Shooting Championships she stood first in the open Ladies Trap Shooting Championships and third in open Trap Shooting Championships. At the II Asian Shooting Championships, Seoul (Korea) in the individual clay Pigeon trap shooting she was placed on the 14th position with a score of 152/200. India was the only country, which entered Women Shooters in an otherwise all male Trap Contestants. Also she was a Member of the Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting Team and helped Indian to win the Bronze Medal in the Clay Pigeon trapshooting event (team). Rajyashree Kumari’s score was 118/150.
1972 At the 17th National Shooting Championship held at Delhi Princess Rajyashree was third in Clay Pigeon Trap National Championships (open to all) and she was National Champion in All India Ladies Clay Pigeon Trap Shooting Championships.
1973 At the National Shooting Championship at Chandigarh in 1975-she won Second place in Trap Shooting, beating all male competitors. Her father, His Highness Dr. Karni Singh, Maharaja of Bikaner, won first place