CHENNAI: Saurabh Chaudhary, who was arguably India's best shooter in the last Olympic cycle, is a forgotten man with the Paris Olympics on the horizon. However, India could potentially have someone who resembles him in the form of Varun Tomar, who is the former World No. 1's cousin. It was Saurabh who had influenced Varun to take up the pistol in 2016. Barely six years later, he has a solid chance of emulating his cousin after securing an Olympic berth for India in the ongoing Asian Championships in Jakarta, on Monday.
After topping the men's 10m air pistol qualification phase with an impressive tally of 586, Varun retained his nerves in the early stages of the finals to finish as topper with a score of 239.6, thereby earning the all-important quota for India. Just hours later, Esha Singh won another quota by winning the women's equivalent. This means India now has a total of 15 quotas so far, matching the tally from Tokyo 2020.
This outcome is not out of the blue for both the pistol shooters, who have been producing medal-winning outputs throughout their nascent careers so far. Esha had won as many as four medals (two individual silver medals) during the Asian Games in Hangzhou while Varun had shown glimpses of his aptitude for the sport during the World Cups last year with two bronze-medal efforts. Saurabh's absence is a big miss but Varun's emergence is a big boost for the family. "It was a great feeling, I was watching it live. He had worked hard for this. We had been hopeful that he would be able to deliver and he did just that," Vishesh Kumar, Varun's father, told this daily. "He saw my nephew Saurabh (Chaudhary) and got inspired to take up the sport. He's also very driven and eager to do well," he added.
It should be noted that being a quota winner does not guarantee a spot in the Olympics and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the national governing body of the sport, will decide the shooters for the Olympics based on their selection policy. As of December 22, Varun was ranked No 6.
Sport is not the only common aspect between Varun and Saurabh. Like Saurabh, Varun, who hails from Baghpat district (Uttar Pradesh), is also someone who's known to be quiet and likes to spend time focussing on his craft. "He is very reserved. He barely talks much, he doesn't go out much. He's just focused on his shooting. People in the community don't even recognise him. He's that quiet," Vishesh, who is a teacher by profession, revealed.
One person that the 20-year-old does talk to often is Saurabh himself. Having a proven shooter, who has tasted the highs and lows of the sport over the years, would have given him that unique edge. "He does talk to him (Saurabh) a lot. Even now they were together at the Karni Singh Range hostel during the camp in New Delhi," Vishesh said, when asked about his equation with Saurabh.
Apart from Saurabh, the Indian Army and Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) have had a big impact on his development so far. Having joined the Army in January 2023, he gets constant attention from the coaches there. The OGQ also ensures that his needs are met. Moreover, he is also part of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). "They take care of all his needs. The Army also provides him with all his needs. The coaches from the Army guide him too," Vishesh said.
Given his undoubted talent and support from all parties including Saurabh, Varun, who is a former junior Worlds bronze medallist, will be determined to build on his latest gold-medal effort and go for Olympic glory.
Medal of honour
Arjun Cheema and Rhythm Sangwan, the other Indians who were competing for Olympic quotas, should also get a special mention. Arjun was in contention until the last series of the elimination stage in the men's 10m air pistol finals before finishing with a silver medal. As India could only win a maximum of one quota, it was Varun who claimed the same with his gold-medal effort. Rhythm, meanwhile, just missed out after finishing third in the women's category. The top two finishers (Esha and Pakistan's Kishmala Talat) walked away with the all-important Olympic quotas. Rhythm will have another chance of earning a quota when she takes part in the women's 25m sports pistol event, where India can win one quota.