CHENNAI: Former World No 1 shooter Jitu Rai, along with several other top former shooters, were named in the 37-member coaches' list for the national team by the National Rifle Association of India, the governing body of the sport in the country, on Saturday. Dronacharya Award recipients Deepali Deshpande and Jaspal Rana are the other notable names and they'll be making a return to the national unit.
The names were finalised during the shooting body's general body meeting.
Jitu, a Khel Ratna and Padma Shri awardee, is a former World Championships medallist and was once regarded as one of the best pistol shooters in the country. Apart from Jitu, there are as many as 15 new faces in the list, which includes coaches from across disciplines (rifle, pistol, shotgun). Former internationals — Pooja Ghatkar (10m air rifle), Pemba Tamang (25m pistol), Amarinder Cheema (skeet) and Varsha Tomar (Trap) — are some of the new entrants.
Pemba, who was inducted into the national team, sounded quite elated. The former multiple Commonwealth Games medallist felt that it was quite nice to be acknowledged. "I am really happy to be part of the coaching team and will do the best I can," he said, adding his experience as a shooter would hold him in good stead. "I know coaching his different but I have done quiet a few courses including one High Performance Leadership programme in Abinav Bindra's centre." He is in Siliguri where he shifted so that it would help him stay connected with the sport.
Meanwhile, Deepali and Jaspal's comeback is not a surprise as they had a big hand in shooters' success in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Besides, both of them have been integral in coaching some of the biggest talents in the country.
Ronak Pandit and Mansher Singh have been appointed as high performance manager of pistol and shotgun, respectively. Seasoned Samaresh Jung (pistol) and Vikram Chopra (shotgun) have also been retained.
The NRAI has already conducted two national trials and they are expected to announce a team mainly on the basis of the trials and the national championships some time in the near future for two World Cups in April. So the coaches' assignment could begin soon.
During the meeting, there were also discussions surrounding the Shooting League of India (SLI) and interestingly, Elena Norman, the former CEO of Hockey India, was appointed as the consultant for the league.