CHENNAI: Shooting was one of the very few sports that helped India capture the coveted Olympic medals during the 2024 Paris Games. After some period of relaxation, the shooters have been looking to recalibrate and gradually find their zone ahead of competitions ahead. There were some notable scores during the national trials that were conducted recently and now, the shooters are set for a national camp ahead of their first international assignment this year.
It's a phase that national rifle coach, Deepali Deshpande, is excited about. "This is the first year in the new Olympic cycle. This time we have a very strong bench strength. It is a very interesting situation right now. We have to maintain it for the next three, four years now," she noted.
With rich talent pool in hand, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), the governing body of the sport in the country, and the coaches are looking to ensure that more shooters can get the platform to display their talents. "More shooters will be getting exposure tours this time. It won't be just No 1, 2 and 3 ranked shooters. The last Olympic cycle was very short, so we need to plan well. This year will be more about training and preparing teams and assessing the shooters. There are many established shooters who have been around for a long but there are some new faces in the squad and we need to check their performances at the international level," she said.
National camp from March 14
During the upcoming national squad camp, which is expected to be held from March 14 in New Delhi, as many as eight shooters (at least) are expected to be part of it. The coaches, who were named recently by NRAI, will also get a close look at the talented bunch. "The camp was originally meant for the team for the upcoming World Cups. But we proposed to have a national squad camp so that we can meet all the shooters. And later, if we can have three camps or so, that would be ideal," the Dronacharya Awardee said.
"The size of the squad is fine. Since the shooters are of really high standards, the work at the base level will be much less and it will be different. That is quite exciting. There's more order this time and I hope everything goes smoothly," she added.
World Cup exposure
Following the camp, the shooters (all disciplines), who have been selected based on the rankings, will depart for Buenos Aires (Argentina) and Lima (Peru) for two World Cups. The first batch of shooters are expected to leave by March 25 and the second batch are scheduled to leave on March 29. Manu Bhaker, Sift Kaur Samra are some of the renowned names who'll be part of the aforementioned trips. And there are many new faces in the team as well. Needless to say, the high level of competition in the upcoming World Cups, could propel the shooters, including the first-timers. "These are new ranges. It is a good chance for us to explore more and more in different ranges, different weather conditions. We don't know what kind of targets they'll have. Generally, all new ranges tend to be windy. The Peru range is windy I suppose and I have no idea about Argentina. Learning how to adapt to different demands is very important for the shooters," Deepali noted.
This goal-oriented approach, if it is carried out as per plans, could help shooters go a long way in the days to come.