Tejas Kumar Prasad, a Bengaluru shooter who was expected to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, saw the disruption as an opportunity to accomplish his dream of becoming a civil servant.
Tejas Kumar Prasad, a Bengaluru shooter and potential Tokyo Olympics participant, saw the COVID-19 epidemic as an opportunity to achieve his aim of becoming a government servant. On Tuesday, the air rifle marksman passed the Civil Services Examination and was ranked 243.
Talking about Tejas, he took up a rifle for the first time when he was 12. At the age of 16, he fell in passionate love with it. Around four years ago, he was fascinated by the cruel machine while his mother was doing her weekend hobby. In the present, he is an international shooter, having represented India at the Junior World Championships.
Tejas competes in the 10m air rifle event at the championships. The 10 meter air rifle is shot at a stationary target from a standing position at a distance of 10 meters (10.94 yards) using a 4.5 mm (0.177 in) caliber air rifle weighing a maximum of 5.5 kg (12.13 lb). He claims that the winner is determined by a hairline difference and that mistakes are difficult to overcome.
Tejas, on clearing UPSC, remarked that being a sportsperson helped him stay focused and pass the civil service exam on his second attempt. According to last year's cut-off, he believes he will get IAS, which was his initial preference. He also said that even during the interview, inquiries revolved largely around sports.
Further, he said, During the interview, he discussed his shooting career and how to enhance sports in India. Because reading athlete memoirs was one of his pastimes, the chairwoman inquired whether he had read Andre Agassi's autobiography, 'Open'.
The chairperson asked him three questions he would ask on a train, as well as replies if he were Agassi. That was an intriguing question.
The interview, led by Sheel Vardhan Singh, lasted approximately 25 minutes and was conducted in a pleasant manner, unlike the film '12th Fail'. He wasn't nervous going into the interview. There were times he didn't know the answers, but he stated, 'He didn't know, and they just moved on.
Tejas, the son of retired businessman T. Krishna Prasad and Shylaja, chose International Relations and Political Science for the Civil Services Examination 2023. He admitted that, without the epidemic, he would not have passed the exam.
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