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{{short description|Indian sports shooter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Dhanush Srikanth
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|07|21|df=yes}}
| country = {{IND}}
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{IND}}}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[shooting sports|shooting]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[Deaflympics]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[2021 Summer Deaflympics|2021 Caxias do Sul]]|10m air rifle}}
{{MedalGold|[[2021 Summer Deaflympics|2021 Caxias do Sul]]|10m air rifle mixed}}
{{MedalGold|[[2025 Summer Deaflympics|2025 Tokyo]]|10m air rifle}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[ISSF Junior World Cup]]}}
{{MedalGold|2023 Suhl|10m air rifle}}
}}

'''Dhanush Srikanth''' (born 21 July 2002) is an Indian deaf sports shooter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dhanush SRIKANTH |url=https://www.deaflympics.com/athletes/dhanush-srikanth |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Deaflympics}}</ref> He made his Deaflympic debut at the age of 19 representing [[India at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics]] (held in May 2022).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sportstar |first=Team |title=Sixty-five Indian athletes to participate in Deaflympics |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/indian-deaflympics-contingent-brazil-send-off-ceremony/article38480143.ece |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Sportstar |date=26 April 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Judge |first=Shahid |title=Explainer: India at Deaflympics – here's what you need to know about the quadrennial event |url=https://scroll.in/field/1023014/explainer-india-at-deaflympics-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-the-quadrennial-event |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Scroll.in |date=May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref> Despite his deafness, he has been competing in Indian shooting circuit and has been regarded as one of the regular faces in Indian shooting fraternity. He is currently coached by former Indian sports shooter [[Gagan Narang]] at the Guns for Glory Shooting Academy in [[Hyderabad]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Judge |first=Shahid |title=Deaflympics 2021: From learning to shoot through drawings, Dhanush Srikanth charts path to gold |url=https://scroll.in/field/1023325/deaflympics-2021-from-learning-to-shoot-through-drawings-dhanush-srikanth-charts-path-to-gold |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Scroll.in |date=5 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Biography ==
During his childhood, although he was having deafness and hearing difficulties, his parents allowed him to mingle with other normally abled children and allowed him to study, play with other children in order to not let him seek special attention.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |first=Tushar|last=Dutt|date=5 May 2022 |title=Deaflympics: Dhanush Srikanth hits bullseye for India's first-ever shooting gold {{!}} More sports News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/deaflympics-dhanush-srikanth-hits-bullseye-for-indias-first-ever-shooting-gold/articleshow/91352995.cms |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> Prior to competing at Deaflympics, he had not learnt [[sign language]].<ref name=":1" /> He also had communication issues and had difficulties in reading. He learnt the art of shooting from Gagan Narang through his drawings and sketches.<ref name=":0" /> It was Srikanth's mother who sought the assistance of Narang when Srikanth was still a 13 year old kid. Srikanth has speech impairments in addition to hearing impairments.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Adivi |first=Sashidhar |date=2022-05-06 |title=Bang on target! |url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/sports/in-other-news/060522/bang-on-target.html |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Deccan Chronicle |language=en}}</ref>

== Career ==
He took part in the 2018 Telangana State Shooting Championships and won junior, youth and senior titles. He won a gold medal in U-21 category at the [[Khelo India Youth Games|2019 Khelo India Youth Games]] and became the first deaf person to claim a medal in Khelo India Youth Games.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2022-05-06 |title=Deaflympics 2021 shooting champion Dhanush Srikanth guns for Olympic glory |url=https://www.firstpost.com/sports/deaflympics-2021-shooting-champion-dhanush-srikanth-guns-for-olympic-glory-10638631.html |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Firstpost |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |author=Tushar Dutt|date=12 Jan 2019 |title=Khelo India: Dhanush Srikanth shoots gold, silently! {{!}} More sports News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/khelo-india-dhanush-srikanth-shoots-gold-silently/articleshow/67497923.cms |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>

In September 2019, he became the first deaf shooter to represent Indian national shooting team when he made it to U21 men's 10m air rifle team for the [[2019 Asian Shooting Championships]] at the age of 16 and he also became the first deaf shooter from India ever to qualify for the Asian Shooting Championships in U21 category.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-09-21 |title=Dhanush Srikanth is first deaf shooter on the Indian national team |url=https://newzhook.com/story/dhanush-srikanth-is-first-deaf-shooter-to-make-it-to-indian-national-squad/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Newz Hook {{!}} Disability News - Changing Attitudes towards Disability |language=en-US}}</ref> He claimed three gold medals in men's individual 10m air rifle junior event, men's team 10m air rifle junior event and mixed gender 10m air rifle junior event at the [[2019 Asian Shooting Championships]] in [[Doha]].<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=ISSF - International Shooting Sport Federation - issf-sports.org |url=https://www.issf-sports.org/athletes/athlete.ashx?personissfid=SHINDM2107200201 |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=www.issf-sports.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2019-11-13 |title=Hearing-impaired shooter Dhanush Srikanth wins double Asian gold |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/hearing-impaired-shooter-dhanush-wins-double-asian-gold-6116756/ |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> He clinched gold medal in the team event at the ISSF Junior World Shooting Championships in September 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-30 |title=12 Indians make finals cut on the opening day of ISSF Junior World Championship |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/others/12-indians-make-finals-cut-on-the-opening-day-of-issf-junior-world-championship-101632988090794.html |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |agency=PTI|date=30 Sep 2021 |title=12 Indian shooters make finals of ISSF Junior World Championship {{!}} More sports News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/five-indians-in-mens-10m-air-rifle-finals-of-junior-world-championships/articleshow/86633331.cms |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref> He could not be able to qualify for the [[2022 Asian Games]] after failing to make the cut during NRAI trials.<ref name=":2" />

He competed at the [[2021 Summer Deaflympics]] and clinched a gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle shooting event with a new deaf world record by registering a score of 247.5 points in the final.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Results - Shooting 10m Air Rifle (Men) |url=https://www.deaflympics.com/games/2022-s/results/3420 |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Deaflympics}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |agency=PTI|date=5 May 2022 |title=Dhanush Srikanth wins gold, Shourya Saini bags bronze at Deaflympics {{!}} More sports News - Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/dhanush-srikanth-wins-gold-shourya-saini-bags-bronze-at-deaflympics/articleshow/91335499.cms |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date= 4 May 2022|title=Srikanth earns shooting gold with world record score at Deaflympics |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1122753/srikanth-shooting-gold-deaflympics |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=www.insidethegames.biz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=PTI |title=Dhanush Srikanth wins gold, Shourya Saini bags bronze in Deaflympics |url=https://sportstar.thehindu.com/other-sports/dhanush-srikanth-wins-gold-shourya-saini-bags-bronze-in-deaflympics/article38484915.ece |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Sportstar |date=5 May 2022 |language=en}}</ref> He eventually became the first Indian to secure a gold medal in 2021 Summer Deaflympics.<ref name=":0" /> In the same 2021 Deaflympics, he claimed another gold pairing with [[Priyesha Deshmukh]] in the final of the mixed rifle event. The pair defeated Germany's Sabrina Eckert and Sebastian Herrmany 16–10 to win the mixed rifle event.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Scroll Staff |title=Deaflympics 2021: Fourth gold for India as Priyesha Deshmukh, Dhanush Srikanth win mixed air rifle |url=https://scroll.in/field/1023456/deaflympics-2021-fourth-gold-for-india-as-priyesha-deshmukh-dhanush-srikanth-win-mixed-air-rifle |access-date=2022-05-08 |website=Scroll.in |date=8 May 2022 |language=en-US}}</ref>

At the 2023 [[ISSF Junior World Cup]] in [[Suhl]], Srikanth won a gold medal in the 10m air rifle event with a score of 249.4 in the finals.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023-06-05 |title=ISSF Junior World Cup: Dhanush Srikanth wins India's third gold |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/shooting/issf-junior-world-cup-dhanush-srikanth-wins-indias-third-gold/articleshow/100772065.cms?from=mdr |access-date=2023-06-09 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[India at the Deaflympics]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{ISSF|SHINDM2107200201}}
* [http://www.deaflympics.com/athletes/dhanush-srikanth Dhanush Srikanth] at [[Deaflympics]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Srikanth, Dhanush}}
[[Category:2002 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian male sport shooters]]
[[Category:Deaf sport shooters]]
[[Category:ISSF rifle shooters]]
[[Category:Indian deaf people]]
[[Category:Deaflympic shooters for India]]
[[Category:Deaflympic gold medalists for India]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics]]
[[Category:Shooters at the 2021 Summer Deaflympics]]
[[Category:Shooters at the 2025 Summer Deaflympics]]
[[Category:Sport shooters from Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian sportsmen]]

Dhanush Srikanth - Revision history

Bsdmission at 14:05, 30 March 2026