NEW DELHI: This Tokyo Olympics is going to be different from previous iterations. Athletes will have to abide by various Covid-19 protocols which also includes reaching the Games Village only five days prior to the competition. In the case of shooting, there are chances that the test event might be limited to only Japanese athletes. Amidst these difficult circumstances, Indian rifle shooters Sanjeev Rajput and Tejaswini Sawant feel that experience could be key in dealing with these novel problems.
The pair clinched India’s 11th gold in the 50m rifle 3 positions mixed team event of the ISSF World Cup here. Despite windy conditions, the pair managed to pip Ukraine’s Serhiy Kulish and Anna Ilina 31-29 to top spot.“This is where a calm head and years of shooting come in handy. We had to adapt on the spot and this experience will help in the days to come,” said Rajput.
And when the topic of Olympics was broached, both seemed quite at ease. Due to arrival and departure rules outlined by IOC, athletes might not get the chance to acclimatize to conditions there while most countries have not had a chance to shoot at the newly-refurbished Asaka Shooting Range.“Both of us have shot in a variety of conditions. The wind and novelty factor might be a deterrent for quite a few, especially in our event. Young shooters can win a match or two but when so many elements are there, experience comes in handy,” Sawant, the former world champ, remarked.
Competitions ahead of the Olympics are at a premium with no official word yet on the Korea and Baku World Cups. There is a question mark over the nationals as well. “Polishing will happen only in training. If the Baku World Cup happens, it will be very good. The more match situations we face, the better we get. It is important to perform under stress, something you only get from competitive action. And in that regard, the team and mixed team events have helped us get the chance to shoot more,” both Rajput and Sawant echoed similar thoughts.
With the NRAI yet to announce the Olympic teams, all quota winners seemed to be under pressure to prove their worth here. Rajput is no stranger to controversy with coach-related issues affecting him back in 2012 while he was not included in the final squad for the Rio Games despite winning a quota. “I have been shooting for a very long time. All I can do is focus on my job. There is no point in putting myself under unnecessary pressure by thinking about selection. And we both know this is not going to be the last match,” Rajput said.
Anish misses out on quota
India missed out on their chance to win their 16th quota in the men’s rapid fire pistol event. Anish Bhanwala, by virtue of world ranking, needed to finish among the medals and also hope that Estonian Peeter Olesk and Poland’s Oscar Miliwek finished outside the podium places. A gold would have been even easier for him, but even though all three Indians qualified for the final, Vijayveer Sidhu claimed silver while Anish and Gurpreet Singh finished fifth and sixth respectively.