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After the success of the London Olympics in 2012, the Indian shooting contingent fired blank at the Rio Olympics in 2016. Only two shooters out of the twelve, Abhinav Bindra and Jitu Rai, managed to feature in the final. The unsuccessful campaign was described as a “debacle” back then.
In terms of results, the Indian shooting had an even worse outing at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It is labeled as a “disaster”. Saurabh Chaudhary was the lone shooter out of the fifteen-member Indian shooting team who progressed past the qualification stage. Unfortunately, he finished 7th to bow out without that elusive medal.
Also Read: The World Is Still At Saurabh Chaudhary's feet despite heartbreaking shooting final loss!
Also Check Out: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule
Why the Indian shooters were considered as one of the favourites?
Since the Rio Olympics, the Indian shooting scene has witnessed several reforms. Junior programs were strengthened, former shooters were roped in as high-performance coaches, and so on and so forth. The results started showcasing the extra efforts put in by the NRAI (National Rifle Association Of India).
The Indian shooting team consistently topped the medal tally for the ISSF World Cup cycle in 2019. Thus, a record number of Olympic quotas (15) were also bagged by the Indian shooters. Their dominance over shooting powerhouses like China and Germany raised hopes of a decent showing at the Tokyo Olympics.
The Indian shooting team also boasted of numerous top-ranked shooters like Abhishek Verma, Yashaswini Deswal and Elavenil Valarivan, to name a few. A couple of medals in both the individual and mixed team events were realistic expectations. However, the Indian shooting under-performed at the world’s biggest sporting stage, i.e., the Olympics once again.
Inexperience seems to be the apparent reason. Only four out of the fifteen-member Indian shooting team had competed in the Olympics before. The lack of experience meant that the extra pressure that comes along with competing against the world’s best, did make a psychological impact.
For example, all air rifle-shooters had shot scores in excess of 628 points (a general cut-off for the final) during the Olympic cycle. Unfortunately, they couldn’t replicate a similar performance when it mattered the most and shot below their respective capabilities.
The likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker and Divyansh Singh Panwar are all under the age of 21. Going forward, this experience will definitely come in handy for the Paris Olympics in 2024.
Other major areas to work upon for the NRAI:
A lot of internal wrangling, as confirmed by the NRAI’s president Raninder Singh, also affected the Indian shooting team. Jaspal Rana - Manu Bhaker's controversy did crop up as one of the potential factors in the latter’s under-par show.
Reports also suggest that the other coaches didn’t get along very well with each other. Besides, the foreign expertise in the form of Pavel Smirnov (Pistol) and Oleg Mikhailov (Rifle) were under-utilised due to the power-tussle between the Indian coaches.
Raninder Singh has called for an overhaul of the coaching staff in-charge of the Indian shooting team. This change will possibly enhance the team environment. A new set of coaches is likely to take over the team once the international shooting calendar resumes again.
Also read: Not a healthy sign as the Indian Shooting Federation raises a red flag halfway through Olympics 2021
Another rectification is required in the NRAI’s selection policy as well. A macroscopic observation reveals that its selection policy awards consistency over the present form. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Olympic quota winner Apurvi Chandela was in phenomenal form. She won two ISSF World Cup gold medals against her name during this period.
However, her form has dipped since the start of 2021. She was not up to her usual best. Despite registering low scores, the NRAI decided to send her for the Tokyo Olympics as per its selection policy. This resulted in a dismal performance from her.
Chinki Yadav has been in terrific form this year. However, she was ignored because of this selection policy as well. If the NRAI takes into account the current form of the shooter as well, it will improve India's medal chances at the next Olympics.
If these experiences can translate into learnings, there’s little doubt that the Indian shooting team will come out triumphant at the Paris Olympics in 2024!
Check out: Is the 2021 Olympics a miss or a learning curve for Saurabh Chaudhary?
