Indian shooter Pushpender Kumar was involved in a tragic accident where he lost his thumb on Saturday, December 2nd. The shooter was filling the 10m air pistol cylinder when it exploded, damaging his thumb in the process. The Indian Air Force corporal was training for the National Championships, currently ongoing, at Bhopal when the incident took place.
He is currently undergoing treatment at the Indian Army Hospital and is expected to make a 90-95 percent comeback as revealed by the team coach. Although he hasn’t competed internationally, he is a senior member of the IAF team.
Indian shooter Pushpender Kumar loses thumb in tragic accident
“Air pistol cylinders have to be replaced after a certain period of time and the gun manufacturers do it for free. Thankfully, Pushpender’s shooting arm is safe,” the national team coach revealed while adding that he hadn’t seen such a case in his career. (The quotes from the coach have been carried by InsideSport.)
The shooter will not be able to compete at the upcoming championships, and to add to his woes, he lost his mother only 15-20 days ago.
We wish Pushpender Kumar a speedy recovery and hope that he be able to compete in forthcoming tournaments safely once he is back to full health.