Mairaj Ahmad Khan (born 2 November 1975) is an Indian skeet shooter and two-time Olympian. He has won gold medals at the World Cup, Asian Championships, and Commonwealth Championships.
Early life Khan was born on 2 November 1975 in an affluent Kheshgi-Sunni landlord family in Khurja, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father, brother and uncles were state-level trap shooters. At age 10, he placed third in a U12 50 m rifle competition and used his prize money to buy a cricket bat. He developed an interest in cricket during his childhood and played as a top-order batsman. He eventually captained the Uttar Pradesh U19 team in the 1990s. Khan made his college team and played alongside former Indian international Virender Sehwag for Jamia Millia Islamia, and also played the Vizzy Trophy and C. K. Nayudu Trophy. He returned to shooting in 1994 as a shotgun shooter before specialising in skeet from 2000.
Career Khan's first international competition was the 2003 World Cup in Lonato, Italy. He has participated in a number of regional, national, and world competitions, including the World Cup, (2000, 2003, 2005-2011, 2013-2016, 2021-2023) Commonwealth Championships (2010), Commonwealth Games (2010, 2014), Asian Games (2006, 2010, 2014), Asian Championships (2004, 2007-2009, 2011-2014, 2016-2017, 2019), and the South Asian Championships (2009).
In 2016, Khan became the first ever Indian skeet shooter to qualify for the Olympics. At the Rio Olympics, he finished in 9th in the qualification round and did not advance into the final. He also finished 25th at the Tokyo Olympics.
In 2022 in Changwon, he became the first Indian skeet shooter to win a gold medal at the World Cup. This came as a surprise to Khan, who almost quit shooting after his father's death in 2021.
Coaching His coaches throughout his career have included Andrea Benelli, Sunny Thomas, Ennio Falco, and Riccardo Filippelli.
Khan also runs an NGO called MAK Shooting Foundation, which trains future shooting talent. He coached Angad Vir Singh Bajwa.
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