India, Nov. 11 -- At 31, Jaypal Malviya has achieved what many shooters spend years chasing, becoming the first Indian shooter to secure an Olympic quota for the country for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Madhya Pradesh marksman's journey to the milestone has been anything but conventional. A farmer from a small village in Chhindwara, he comes from a family of idol-makers and knew little about competitive shooting when he first walked into a local academy.

Even as Malviya celebrated his breakthrough at the ISSF World Championships in Doha, his family back home was busy making idols of Goddess Lakshmi for the festive season. Idol-making, after all, is the family's traditional occupation and a major source of livelihood.

"We are Prajapa...