By Anjali Bhagwat
Let’s not predict medals for the Indian contingent. In the build-up to the Olympics everyone has been saying that this time we will return with a rich haul. Do we really need it? I don’t think so.
A ticket to the Olympics is not something you can purchase over the counter; the athletes have to earn it. Our athletes also have walked the same path.
But why this hype? Hype builds up the pressure. Every day, there’s everyone reminding our athletes that you ought to win.
Be it in whichever discipline, Indian athletes are capable enough and that’s the reason why they are there. Do we really need to remind them? I don’t think so.
I feel, if we perform at our peak, we will make history for sure. But, we need to give our athletes the space. They deserve it, specially in an event as shooting.
In the Olympics, you shoot against competitors who are as good as you and even better.
For a shooter, the thought process stays the most vital. One needs to be focused all the time and for that you need special mental training. Nothing external is welcome, especially the hype and extra pressure of winning medals for the country.
In shooting, flexibility of muscles is predominantly important. The flexibility leads to balance and the reflexes need to be really fast. I have always depended on yoga and have reaped its benefits, but it differs from one shooter to other.
One needs to remember shooting is very much a mechanical sport. You are 100 percent dependent on your gun and if it revolts on D-Day, there’s little you can do.
When you fire, you know you have cracked your best shot but you find your barrel was faulty and the exit doors stare at you.
In fact, that’s what separates Indian shooters from their Western and Chinese counterparts. All of them have the luxury of changing their equipment as per the weather conditions but we can never expect that.
Very few do understand that the IQ level of a shooter has to be high. It’s the shooter who has to handle the weapon and he has to possess that amount of technical knowledge, otherwise you will lose it someday or the other.
I have been flooded with questions as to who is India’s best bet as far as the strong shooting contingent is concerned.
Well, I’d say all. But as Indians, we keep referring to Abhinav Bindra’s gold medal in Beijing 2008. And I want to emphasise that there’s no pressure on him this time.
He had handled the pressure four years back and will be shooting with a free mind. He has always been perfect, be it his homework, his build-up, his mental peace, technical expertise.
Everything has to be perfect from him. That’s what separates him from others. He knows how to handle and produce results. A medal for Abhinav will be a bonus for all of us.
Good luck to all our athletes.