CHENNAI: When it comes to competition, the sport of shooting in India is as cutthroat as it can be. Ask the bunch who are currently part of the Olympic Selection Trial (OST). The margins are fine with the cream of sport vying for the all-important Olympic quotas. With the stakes as high as ever, the pressure is bound to be immense.
All 37 rifle and pistol shooters, who are part of the trials, have mostly abandoned their daily comforts to come this far. It's a very relatable narrative where families from regular households aspire to reach for the stars.
Sift Kaur Samra is one of them. Having put aside her MBBS aspirations, the sport is a massive gamble that Sift and her family have opted for.
One of the gifted shooters contending for an Olympic quota in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions, Sift's rise was an organic one. With her habit of winning medals and putting up some notable scores, Sift has demonstrated in the last year or so that she has the potential to challenge for a medal in the quadrennial event.
And she has lived up to her billing in the OST so far. On Friday, she finished on top for the second time within three days (OST 1 and OST 2 trials finals) and now is in a position of strength ahead of the remaining two trials, which is scheduled to be held in Bhopal from May 10 to 19. Sift's father Pawandeep Singh, who was at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi, during the trials is satisfied with the outcome.
But he knows the job is far from complete. "It's still not over. She has done well so far but anything can happen in the remaining two trials in Bhopal," Pawandeep noted. "We have seen some high scores as well. So, let's see how it goes."
His assessment is spot on as fortunes can change in no time. Moreover, there are two more shooters who have a fair chance alongside Sift to make a case for Olympic quotas (two quotas available). Ashi Chouksey, who shot an impressive 590 in the qualification stage of T1, and Anjum Moudgil are also within range.
This is a fairly new territory for Sift, who hails from Punjab. Ashi Chouksey comes from the famed MP State Shooting Academy while Anjum Moudgil has years of experience and is an Olympian.
What drives the Sift family is the fact that they have invested everything in the shooter (not that it is any less for other shooters). Having made the difficult choice of sacrificing sport for studies, that has handed them the natural boost to go that extra mile (look for extra details to navigate the visible disadvantages). Pawandeep is just looking to ensure that he's there beside her, be the ideal support cast and keep her away from all the disturbances.
"This (shooting) is huge for us. As you know, she chose this over her studies. And the sport is not huge here in Punjab. If this doesn't work, then I'll never encourage anyone to take up the sport," Pawandeep, who's into business in Faridkot, said.
"I just try to be there as this sport is really competitive. All her coaches have been really supportive and she is someone who tends to get along with everyone well. That also helps," he added. Come May, Sift will be hoping to add to her belief during the remaining two trials in Bhopal and get one step closer to her Olympic aspirations.