Want to keep best shooters fresh for big events: NRAI chief Kalikesh Deo
The intense competition at home and a robust domestic structure means India shooting keeps producing prodigious talents. The latest is pistol shooter Suruchi Phogat, who has swept individual gold medals in all three World Cup legs.
While emerging talent are pushing the established names, top shooters who have the experience and can produce results in major competitions need to be managed well.
National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) president Kalikesh Singh Deo says the federation is working on a system to build two senior teams besides a junior side for a more focussed, result-oriented approach. This will give ample time for the best of the lot to spread out their preparations.
'Our bench strength is strong and we have the best shooters on current form competing for India. We are trying to tweak the calendar and schedule in a way that our best shooters get ample scope to train and prepare for major competitions,' Deo told HT.
'For that we are looking to identify two teams (A, B) and a junior team. We will identify different international competitions for them based on a transparent selection process. It will ensure that a large pool of athletes gets international exposure. At the same time our elite athletes will not suffer burnout and will remain sharp and competitive,' he said.
This will come as a big relief to shooters who compete in 12-13 tournaments a year, including a series of domestic trials to keep their place in the national squad. Currently, they have to keep competing because once dislodged, many find it difficult to make it back.
Deo says NRAI has plans to call such shooters in the national camp even if they are not in a team so that national coaches can guide them through the tough phase. He has asked rifle shooter Tilottama Sen, who won a Paris Olympics quota for the country but is currently out of the team, to attend national camps.
'We performed very well at the Paris Olympics, having been able to plan and implement our strategy. Going forward we do realise that there are a few gaps we need to fill for this Olympics cycle. The kind of talent we have is a huge advantage but we are also seeing that our athletes in the national team change very often.
'While we keep working towards creating a strong bench strength, we also need to take care of talent who lose out on national spots and make them part of the national training programme.'
In the first World Cup in Buenos Aires, India finished second winning eight medals, including four gold. China topped with 11 medals. In Peru and Munich, India came third with seven and four medals respectively.
'Our shooters have done exceedingly well this season. We did well in Munich, the toughest of the World Cups. We have emerged a powerhouse in international shooting. Our shooters are able to adapt to different conditions and are mentally strong. Our focus now is to prepare them for World Championships and the Asian Games next year.'
NRAI has expanded the coaching and support staff and wants to maintain continuity so that trust can be built between the coaches and shooters. Resuming the successful junior development programme is part of the plan. 'The idea is to catch athletes young, at 13, 14 years and to put them through a training programme so that there is seamless transition from junior to senior at international level.'
Sift wins
In the shooting selection trials in Dehradun on Wednesday, Sift Kaur Samra won the 50m rifle 3 Positions final with a score of 467.3. In 10m air rifle men's final, Junior World Championships medallist Umamahesh Maddineni edged past Rudrankksh Patil to top the final with 252.2 points.
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