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“Olympics is not a walk in the park”, feels Heena Sidhu, who will be cooped up in her Pune house, cheering for the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics.
Sidhu, who is expecting a child in November, feels the shooting team led by Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary will have to bring their 'A' game to finish on the podium
Heena Sidhu had an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda. And this is what she had to say:
“Olympics is a tricky affair. There will be nerves and they will feel jittery. It is all part of the package. It is their (Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary) maiden Games, so there will be pressure. They have been doing well, and just need to repeat that. I always told this to myself when I felt the pressure."
Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker, both 19, are heavy favorites to grab a medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 10m air pistol men's and women's events respectively. There will be billions of eyes set on the duo. On top of that, they will also have to fight the pressure of expectation of competing in their maiden Olympics.
Heena Sidhu knows all about this feeling and the toll it takes on an athlete’s psyche. The Ludhiana-born competed at her maiden Olympics at the 2012 London Games. Heena Sidhu was 22 at the time.
The Ludhiana-born shooter is a two-time Olympian. She was also the first Indian pistol shooter to rank number one in the ISSF rankings. Heena Sidhu, 31, who competes in 10m and 25m air pistol events, was also the first pistol shooter to win gold at the ISSF World Cup.
She entered the London Games riding on some impressive performances in that Olympic cycle. She had a world cup medal (2009), two Commonwealth Games medals and an Asian Games silver medal.
Heena Sidhu hit the peak of her career back in 2012. But with achievements, expectations rose as well. Sidhu finished 12th in the qualification round in London. But she continued to grow as a shooter.
By the time the 2016 Rio Olympics came, Heena Sidhu was already at the prime of her career. Sidhu has three world cup medals including two gold, one Asian Games medal (2014) and many Asian championship titles.
However, the Rio Games faced the same disappointing fate as the London Olympics. By the 2018 Commonwealth Games, where she won gold in the 25m pistol event, she had started showing signs of depression.
READ: How Saurabh Chaudhary rose to become one of India's top pistol shooters
Heena Sidhu says Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary have been in the spotlight for a long time now and there will be expectations from them at the Tokyo Olympics. The duo shot to fame after winning Asian Games gold at the age of 16.
It will be important for the duo and other Indian shooters to understand how to deal with the pressure, feels Heena Sidhu.
“I had about with depression myself. There are so many expectations and love for the sport that it's starting to take a toll. Thankfully I had help and I recovered from it. Manu and Saurabh have also been in the spotlight since a young age. I am sure they have learnt how to handle the expectations. There will be Olympic pressure but they should just focus on the job at hand,” says Heena Sidhu.
Heena Sidhu on the importance of 2R’s and trigger motion in shooting
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary can return home as Olympic medalists if they follow the process of 2R’s and trigger motion correctly.
What is the trigger motion?
For a layman, shooting is just about hitting the target to score the highest points. But behind this simple process, a lot is going around. One such aspect is the trigger movement.
READ: How Manu Bhaker became India's shooting star
From a shooter’s perspective, when he or she is aiming, everything stops including themselves. The only movement happening is of the finger on the trigger. Heena Sidhu says that small motion plays an important role in a shooter’s achievement.
“Simply put, in a trigger technique you just press the trigger. That’s all. But while making that movement nothing else can move. As simple as it sounds, there is a lot of training behind it to practice pressing the trigger as soft as possible. A lot of mental training happens,” says Heena Sidhu.
While the mental aspect is one part of shooting, she also emphasized the importance of staying fit physically.
“Physical training is very important so that we don’t injure ourselves. There is always a fear of injuring our spine and it is important to stay fit to avoid it,” she added.
Then what are the 2R’s and why not focus on training motion alone?
Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary have been training in Zagreb on their shooting techniques, and mental and physical aspects. But what they do during the breaks at the Tokyo Olympics will also play an important role in their hunt for the medal.
In a 10m air pistol event, a shooter has 1hour and 30 minutes to finish 60 shots and accumulate the maximum score. Between their shots, they can take breaks and then return to action.
Heena Sidhu says it will be important as to what they do during the breaks too as it can play a crucial role at the Tokyo Olympics
“It is a process a shooter follows. Breaks are not just for the sake of it. If a shooter feels they are not doing well or have lost concentration, they take it. It is a way to regroup and refocus on their target. Some shooters talk to themselves; some bring their breathing back to normal; others introspect. A break is always part of a game plan,” says Heena Sidhu.
She feels it will be a “tricky” and an “unpredictable” Olympics this year. And unlike the popular belief of India winning at least 10 medals, the soon-to-be mom says anything can happen in Tokyo.
“Had the Olympics were held in 2020, I would have said 3-4 medal at maximum but things have changed. There have been almost no international competitions, even less training time. So, it will be unpredictable how many medals India can win,” she added
