India's shooting team seeks to end medal drought

An untested team eager to excel in the upcoming shooting competition at the Paris Olympics will kick off the event in the tranquil French town of Chateauroux on Saturday.

 

India has achieved four Olympic medals in shooting out of its total of 35, but none in the last two Summer Games, which adds pressure on the 21-member Indian contingent based in central France.

 

The National Shooting Federation NRAI prioritised current form over experience in selecting the squad for the mega event, hoping for success at the National Shooting Centre.

 

Even the quota winners had to compete in trials, with relatively inexperienced Sandeep Singh edging out 2022 world champion Rudranksh Patil, who secured India's quota in the 10m air rifle.

 

Patil appealed to the NRAI for inclusion in the team despite finishing behind Sandeep in the trials, but the federation upheld its decision.

 

The athletes have been training away from the busy atmosphere of Paris, which may work to their advantage on competition day. Except for Manu Bhaker, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Anjum Moudgil, and Elavenil Valarivan, all will be making their first appearance on the biggest sporting stage. India will be represented in all 15 shooting events.

 

In the Olympics, peak performance and luck both play crucial roles.

 

Despite winning numerous medals in world events, 22-year-old Bhaker faced misfortune at the Tokyo Games when her weapon malfunctioned during the 10m air pistol qualification, and she could not recover. She will compete in three disciplines – 10m air pistol, 25m pistol, and 10m pistol mixed team.

 

India is likely to face strong competition from China, which also has 21 shooters across different disciplines.

 

Another female shooter to watch is Sift Kaur Samra, who won the 50m rifle three-position gold at the Asian Games.

 

Moudgil, a veteran in the squad, is making a comeback and will compete alongside Sift in the women’s 50m rifle three positions.

 

Twenty-year-old Rhythm Sangwan will participate in two events: women’s 10m air pistol with Bhaker and the 10m air pistol mixed team.

 

"The preparation has been going good. The range is beautiful. I was a little upset staying away from main village in Paris. It is not as I expected but I am here for the competition and win and not pass any comments on the Games Village. Olympics is the biggest stage out here," said Sangwan.

 

Out of the male participants, only Tomar has previous experience in the Olympics. Tomar, a member of the 2023 World Championships gold-winning team, will compete in the men’s 50m rifle three positions event alongside Swapnil Kusale.

 

The male newcomers with substantial international experience are Anish Bhanwala, Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Babuta, Arjun Singh Cheema, and Vijayveer Singh.

 

Gagan Narang, who won a bronze medal in the 2012 Olympics and is serving as India’s chef de mission, is supporting the shooters in their quest to break the medal drought in this edition.

 

“My first Olympic experience was in 2004 and I remember at that time, we were not as confident as we are today. There is genuine belief that we are at par with the best in the world,” said Narang.

 

The biggest test of the shooters’ lives awaits.

 

Full squad

 

Rifle: Men’s 10m air rifle: Sandeep Singh, Arjun Babuta 

Women’s 10m air rifle: Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita Jindal

Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Sift Kaur Samra, Anjum Moudgil

Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Swapnil Kusale

10m air rifle mixed team: Sandeep Singh/Elavenil Valarivan, Arjun Babuta/Ramita Jindal

Pistol: Men’s 10m air pistol: Sarabjot Singh, Arjun Cheema

Women’s 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker, Rhythm Sangwan

Men’s 25m rapid fire pistol: Anish Bhanwala, Vijayveer Sidhu

Women’s 25m pistol: Manu Bhaker, Esha Singh

10m air pistol mixed team: Sarabjot Singh/Manu Bhaker, Arjun Singh Cheema/Rhythm Sangwan

Shotgun: Men’s trap: Prithviraj Tondaiman

Women’s trap: Rajeshwari Kumari, Shreyasi Singh

Men’s skeet: Anantjeet Singh Naruka

Women’s skeet: Maheshwari Chauhan, Raiza Dhillon

Skeet mixed team: Anantjeet Singh Naruka/Maheshwari Chauhan.