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India's Olympic-bound shooter, Manu Bhaker said that adapting to the Tokyo range and the change in the environment won't be a problem for Indian shooters.
The young shooter, who has clinched many gold medals at the ISSF World Cup, spoke to the media ahead of the New Delhi World Cup starting on Thursday. The climate changes in India would well prepare the Indian shooting contingent for the Tokyo challenge, claimed Manu Bhaker.
“Best part about India is that we have all seasons here, every sort of climate, temperature and environment. We have all had experiences with windy conditions and climate changes. I believe that it (adapting to the Tokyo range) won’t be a problem for us," said Bhaker, as quoted by ANI.
Excited about international competition returning after a long gap, the 19-year-old talked about the difficult time the Indian shooters have had in the past year. Despite the challenging circumstances, the home-grown shooters are ready to deliver their best.
“After a very long time we will be having an international competition, I am looking forward to it. The past year has been tough for everyone, not just the Indian athletes. We will see how we are able to perform, how we have been training, and how we will be able to deliver. We can just hope for the best,” said Manu Bhaker.
The 15 Olympic-bound shooters will be competing at the ISSF World Cup, where the contingent is hoping to bag more Tokyo Olympic quotas.
Also read: Indian shooters to look out for at the ISSF World Cup, New Delhi
Manu Bhaker and other Indian shooters have been kept in a bio-bubble
The National Rifle Association of India has kept India's Tokyo-bound shooters safe in a bio-bubble. The Olympic-bound shooters are the priority right now as the authorities don't want to risk their health, which will further affect their training for Tokyo.
Manu described her experience in the bio-bubble:
“I am working on my mental conditioning. In the beginning, it was a sort of challenge for all because I believe we never had so many restrictions in one go. You are restricted in everything, you can’t go outside of a room, you are meant to be in the room alone.”
Manu Bhaker competing in multiple events at the World Cup
Manu Bhaker will be competing in the 25m sports pistol event, in both individual and team categories. The 25m sports pistol team will also have Olympic-bound shooters, Rahi Sarnobat and Chinki Yadav.
Manu Bhaker, who is currently in second position in the 10m air pistol women's rankings, will vie for the title in her pet 10m air pistol team event and the mixed team event too. Along with Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu clinched most of the gold medals at various ISSF World Cups in 2019 and will look to dominate the upcoming World Cup as well.
