CHENNAI: Her smile said it all. Keeping India’s hot streak going, shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal surprised many, including world champion Olena Kostevych to finish on top of the podium in the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Rio de Janeiro. She couldn’t hide her delight on Saturday as she also secured an Olympic quota in the women’s 10m air pistol, taking the country’s tally to nine.
Perhaps, the Panchkula girl surprised herself a bit as well with this outcome, a result that saw her shoot a total of 236.7 in the final. It turned out to be an easy win in the end as she finished 1.9 points ahead of World No 1 Olena, who garnered 234.8. Serbia’s Jasmina Milavonovic bagged the bronze with 215.7.
Her talent with the pistol was undeniable as she had made waves in the junior circuit under the watch of coach Jaspal Rana. Just two years ago, the 22-year-old had won the junior world title in Suhl, Germany. She had also equalled the junior world record then.
But unlike Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary, her transition to the senior section has been a real battle. Having made her first World Cup appearance in 2015 in Gabala, she was yet to win a medal. With intense competition for places, Yashaswini, who’s been practising the sport since 2012, had been in and out of the main team.
Her coach Tejinder Singh Dhillon, who has been guiding her since Day 1, shed some light on what was hampering her performance. “Her base is very strong. But there was a time she would overthink. I would urge her not to complicate matters and keep it simple. As a shooter, you tend to drift into many thoughts, take unwanted pressure. You want to do more. So her graph stagnated.”
A glance at her 2019 performance before this wouldn’t have inspired much confidence. She began the season with a 10th-place finish in Beijing, where she outscored both Bhaker and the seasoned Heena Sidhu. In a relentless sport, the onus was on her to build on that finish in the next World Cup. However, she couldn’t do that and finished 22nd in Munich. Her shooting might have been off the mark but her belief remained intact.
“We had made some fine-tuning in her technique — placement of hands and pressure points. I’d just asked her to focus on herself and not worry about anything else.
“Once you’re in the range, you’re on your own. She followed instructions well and I’m delighted for her. She had also taken up 25m pistol. Two events gave her the chance to grow and it has strengthened her,” Dhillon said.
This boost could not have come at a better time. It means that India now has won the maximum of two quotas in the 10m air pistol section.
Qualifiers so far
Men’s 50m rifle 3 positions: Sanjeev Rajput. Women’s 10m air pistol: Manu Bhaker & Yashaswini Singh Deswal. Men’s 10m air pistol: Saurabh Chaudhary & Abhishek Verma. Women’s 10m air rifle: Apurvi Chandela & Anjum Moudgil. Women’s 25m pistol: Rahi Sarnobat. Men’s 10m air rifle: Divyansh Singh Panwar.