Hopes have soared and the country is now expecting a really good showing in Paris in July 2024 at the Olympics. And if the shooters are mentored and nurtured well, there is no reason why this hope will remain unfulfilled.
21 medals including 7 golds at the Asian Games and Indian shooting is on a steep upward climb after the lull of a few years. Hopes have soared and the country is now expecting a really good showing in Paris in July 2024 at the Olympics. And if the shooters are mentored and nurtured well, there is no reason why this hope will remain unfulfilled. From not winning a medal at the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games to winning 21 medals and counting at the Asian Games, the transformation in Indian shooting is a fascinating story. At the core of this story is the success of the junior programme effectively managed by the NRAI, evident from the average age of the medal winners in Hangzhou.
Post Tokyo it had been pointed out that funds, which aren’t an issue in India anymore, need to be efficiently managed. There was the need of a structured and professional junior programme and emphasis on sports science. Finally, we needed a proper coaching structure to be put in place with able and talented coaches taking care of the national team replacing political appointees at the top of Indian shooting.
To recommend is one thing. To implement is a fundamentally different thing altogether. To its credit the NRAI under President Raninder Singh copped the criticism, took the bullets in their stride and put systems in place. And after Raninder made way for Kalikesh (still to be formally appointed President though), things did not slow down an iota. And a cursory glance at the Hangzhou medallists draws attention to the success of the programmes. While much can still be done, it is now a structured system, which has its heart in the right place. It allows for an able mix of experience and youth and hence a Palak Gulia Bhaker or an Esha Singh is accompanied by a team of coaches, sports science and mental health experts and other support staff. While the system isn’t perfect yet, it is good enough to empower our shooters to try and be perfect on an imperfect day as Abhinav Bindra had always aspired to be.
The work, however, isn’t done yet. With 7 quotas won already, India can expect to win 4 or 5 more at the Asian Championships in October. That’s when the real work will start for the shooters and the NRAI leading to Paris. As much as they need to train and compete, they also require adequate downtime to be in the best shape for the Olympics. We in India are obsessed about training and hard work at times forgetting the need to let bodies recover and refocus. Diet, mental hygiene and training regimes needs to be monitored for each of these men and women who now have the ability to make India proud at the world’s biggest sports spectacle. And the best part is it is no longer about one individual. It is not simply about a Bindra or a Narang. In each of the details that India will participate in Paris, we stand a good chance if we have a good day. And to have the best day we need to be the best prepared. That’s what the next 10 months are all about. The NRAI with the help of the Government and the Sports Authority of India and the private players like the Go Sports Foundation, Gagan Narang Sports Foundation, JSW, OGQ and others have now done the hard work. We finally have a professional system in place. We have talented men and women who aren’t satisfied with just a medal. They want the best and are focussed on getting there. All they now need is the honing to make them battle ready.
To go back to the words of a senior shooter who said on conditions of anonymity, “The NRAI will now face its biggest challenge as it will not just have to monitor the preparations of the shooters but also find a way of ensuring the hype doesn’t get to them. These are young impressionistic minds, and you need to be careful. You don’t want the Asian Games success to get to their heads and at the same time don’t want them to be underconfident or overawed.”
If the shooters and the NRAI manages to stay true, Paris can surely be a game changer for Indian shooting.