Munich – This oppressive Indian summer, the nation’s shooters have moved their attention to Germany, where they seek to further their preparation for the forthcoming Paris Olympics. It might be recalled that the ISSF World Cup (Pistol/Rifle) begins this Saturday in Munich, and this is a very important competition for these athletes.
Recently, many Indian shooters were put through extremely rigorous practice sessions for a month in New Delhi and Bhopal, resulting in their exhaustion and unwillingness to compete in the World Cup of many of them.
However, the NRAI insisted on participation while settling the most pressing problems, such as the assignment of last-minute personal coaches. Therefore, several personal coaches did not accompany their athletes, and it was a mixture of preparedness and yet unaddressed conflict.
The Olympics will serve as the next bus stop for the shooters, and this World Cup will give them a feel of their preparedness for the big event. Regarding some booms in the national squad, the Olympic selection policy of NRAI, which is based on the performance in the Olympic Selection Trials (OST), seems to behave unexpectedly.
Most notably, altered dynamics in the trials were such that the newcomer in the Army, Sandeep Singh, outperformed the last world champion and the Paris quota winner, Rudrankksh Patil. It has placed the NRAI in a tricky situation because Rudrankksh is arguably among the finest 10m air rifle marksmen that India has churned out, post-Abhinav Bindra.
Hence, it is paramount for the NRAI to stick to the selection policy due to these likely litigation problems. Some athletes who were edged out of the Olympic slots in the just concluded trials have approached the federation with appeals for reconsideration for the Paris Olympics. This situation alone is a clear indication of the cutthroat competition and the level of interest and expectations that come with the privilege of representing the country in the Olympics.
Moreover, NRAI also did not help the issue as they failed to declare the list of contingents to the Olympics too early. Given the fact that several countries have already announced their lists, the position of Indian shooting is still uncertain.
This delay impacts other facets of the shooters’ preparation, such as essential matters like testing of ammunition and the like for occasions like the Olympics and World Championships. The World Cup in Munich will be the best occasion for the shooters to meet the European manufacturers and try the cartridges they are going to use in Paris.
The men’s and women’s 10m air rifle shooting events commence the World Cup today, and the finals will be held on Monday. In the men’s 10m air rifle category, Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta Rudrankksh Patil will be the participants of the shooting event; for the women’s 10m air rifle, the participants include names such as Elavenil Valarivan, Ramita &Tilottama Sen.
Thus, the dynamics of these shooters will not only reflect their preparedness for the Olympics but also the severe scrutiny that they have had to go through. It is fitting to be used as the proving ground and grooming ground for the Indian shooting team that will be vying for a place in the Paris Olympics.
