CHENNAI: In what is considered to be one of the most competitive sports in the country, shooter Saurabh Chaudhary had gradually lost his way to be in the shadows for some time. It was quite a decline for someone who was touted to be the best shooter in the 10m pistol discipline not so long ago. Missing out on the Paris Olympics was the nadir for the 2018 Asian Games gold medallist. But Saurabh seems to be back where he wants to be. After prospering in the National Shooting Championships (NSCC) and the subsequent national trials (T1 & T2), the 22-year-old from Uttar Pradesh is in pole position to make a comeback into the national team.
As per provisional rankings (dated February 14, 2025) published by National Rifle Association of India, the governing body of the sport in the country, Saurabh is currently No 1 in his pet category.
As per NRAI policy (01/01/2025), shooters will be divided into 2 groups (A & B) — based on the shooters' performances in the NSCC and the trials (there'll be more trials in the coming months). For participation in the World Cups in Argentina and Peru (first major events in the calendar), the NRAI, in a recent post (February 4, 2025), had announced that five shooters (three will be sponsored by SAI) will be selected based on merit and as per ranking list (after Trials 1 & 2). Saurabh is in the driver's seat to feature in at least one. It is also learnt that the NRAI has to send the names of participants to Sports Authority of India (SAI) for international events at least 45 days in advance.
On Friday, Saurabh, representing Railways, finished third behind Varun Tomar and Sarabjot Singh with a tally of 217.2 in New Delhi. In the qualification phase, he had garnered 583-28x (x denotes inner-10s). At the start of the year, he had smashed the national qualification record (591) during the national championships at the same venue.
Samaresh Jung, who has been guiding Saurabh behind the scenes, is a pleased person and felt that the break (after missing out on the Olympics) was a blessing in disguise. "He was out of the team for the Olympics. It was good for him, the break. Until the Olympics, he was still trying but once he was out, he was more relaxed. He was trying to keep things normal. He could train in a proper manner in a relaxed way," the coach noted.
Jung, a former champion himself, felt that Saurabh's perseverance was vital. "He knew it would take some time but he persevered. Even during his tough phase, it was not that bad. He had a couple of bad scores, some good scores and mostly average/below-par scores. But compared to other shooters, it was not up to the mark."
Turning his focus on other things seems to be paying off for the former junior world champ. "Earlier, it was all shooting for him. Now, he is into his studies as well and also he got a job with the Railways. He's more settled now," Jung noted.
The equation, in regards to his improved form, might look simple, but Jung has definitely worked with him on the finer aspects of the sport. "I would always ask him to stick to the basics. If things are not going well, I would tell him not to worry about that. Ranking is temporary. I'm not worried about that. If somebody shoots better than him, then they'll go higher. There were small technical things that needed to be polished. For example, follow through. The word is simple, but what does it mean?"
Having persisted and fought his way back, Saurabh, with the support of Jung and other people close to him, would be determined to maintain this trend.