A member of the country’s societal elite, Harihar Banerjee was one of the first Indians to practice competitive sport shooting. In 1952 he became the first Indian to compete at the ISSF World Shooting Championships and, a few weeks later, joined Souren Choudhury in making that same distinction at the Olympics. Banerjee competed in three events at the Helsinki Games, with his best finishing being 24th in the free rifle, three positions, 300 metres. He made a second appearance at the Olympics in 1956 in Melbourne, where he was 35th in the small-bore rifle, three positions, 50 metres event. A graduate of the Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, he had a lengthy career as a physician, but also remained active in sport shooting and even captained the national rifle team. After his death, an annual Memorial Air Weapon Shooting Championship was named in his honor. His son Amarnath also competed in sport shooting, while his daughter-in-law Shreyasee took up the sport after competing nationally as a swimmer and volleyball player.
India