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What's the story?
Anjum Moudgil is hopeful for an excellent performance from the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and feels the Indian shooting team is the 'best in the world'.
The background
Moudgil is amongst India's top shooters currently. The 26-year-old from Chandigarh has to her name a coveted silver medal in the Women's 10m air rifle event (with a score of 248.4) at the 2018 ISSF World Shooting Championships in Changwon, South Korea. She bagged another silver medal at the same event along with Apurvi Chandela and Mehuli Ghosh in the 10m air rifle team event.
Anjum also won a silver medal in 50m rifle three positions at the 2018 Asian Games. Her individual silver medal at the 2018 World Championships helped her secure a berth at the Tokyo Olympics 2020 and she became the first Indian shooter to secure a berth at the quadrennial extravaganza slated to begin in July this year.
The heart of the matter
The country's top women’s air rifle category shooter is hopeful that the Indian shooting contingent will do exceptionally well at Tokyo Olympics 2020.
Speaking of India's chances at the Games, an optimistic sounding Moudgil told PTI,
"Our shooting team is the best in the world. I am really happy that I am part of this team. This team is really good at the world level. My team-mates are breaking records and winning medals. I am sure the results in the upcoming tournaments will be really good. I am expecting a good performance by the entire shooting contingent at the Olympics."
Apart from Anjum, a total of 14 other Indian shooters have made the cut for 2020 Tokyo Olympics so far. This list includes young shooting sensations such as Saurabh Chaudhary, Divyansh Singh Panwar, and Manu Bhaker - all three are just 17 years old.
After a dismal outing at the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Indian shooting contingent looks highly promising and will be gunning for glory at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Indian shooters, especially the younger ones, have optimally utilised the coaches and facilities available in India.
Showering her praise for the Indian shooting contingent further, Anjum added -
"The senior Indian team is really young, which is a good thing. This is the best Indian shooting team I have ever seen."
The Punjab-born shooter also hailed the Indian government for the introduction of Khelo India University Games, which is set to be a great platform for budding sportspersons at the University level. After the runaway success of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), KIUG will now be held in Bhubaneswar between February 22 and March 1.
“It’s really good that the Indian government is conducting a Khelo India tournament for another age category. I am really happy with the way the Khelo India Games are organised in India. It’s a really big tournament. I am looking forward to the University Games, I think it’ll be a very good platform for all upcoming athletes," the 26-year-old shooter signed off.
What's next?
Earlier, veteran shooter Abhinav Bindra had also said that he has high hopes from the Indian shooting contingent for Tokyo Olympics 2020. Now, Anjum Moudgil also expressed her confidence in the team which is a sign that a podium finishes are a realistic hope for the Indian shooting contingent.
