The noise at the rifle club here was deafening. The cheers of spectators packed into a small hall was compounded by the ‘dhol’ beats elsewhere inside the shooting range.
Amid this chaos, India’s top rifle and pistol shooters like Anjum Moudgil and Rhythm Sangwan were focused and on target, leading to some thrilling finals at the National Games on Monday.
It was a good test for the shooters before the World Championships in Cairo next month where they would also be vying for qualifying spots, or quotas, for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The National Games being organised at short notice may have thrown them off guard a bit, but it did not derail their preparations. With only the top 16 ranked shooters participating here, it is turning out a good opportunity to get match sharp before the worlds.
Moudgil for one didn’t mind participating in the Games as she had taken a small break after winning bronze at the World Cup in Changwon in July.
“After Korea I did not compete in a single match. I was not well so I took a break from the beginning of September. I was just trying to recover for the World Championships. This event was good to test my preparedness and to see how I am performing with less intensity in training,” said Moudgil, who won bronze in 50m rifle three position on Monday.
The 28-year-old Chandigarh shooter has been in great form this season, putting behind the Tokyo Olympics debacle. She is currently world No 1 after winning a silver and bronze in the World Cup.
“The competition here was extremely tough in some events as only the top 16 were there. The atmosphere was great, the noise just added to the pressure. The level of competition at home is high, it really pushes us even more,” she said.
“After being ranked world No 1, I just started to work on my basics again. I just don’t want to be flying high with these achievements.”
Moudgil had won India’s first Olympic quota spot for Tokyo, in women’s 10m air rifle, at the World Championships four years ago. While she will be eager to seal a berth this time too, 21-year-old Sift Kaur Samra of Punjab was also excited to be competing in her first major event—World Championships. She defeated Shriyanka Sadangi of Odisha 18-16 in a nail-biting duel in the final elimination shootout for gold.
“I competed in the Cairo World Cup this year and that experience will help,” said Samra, who won the Junior World Cup gold in Suhl, Germany.
“It was my first international season and I won a gold medal outside India. The National Games gold is my first senior level medal. That encourages me,” said Samra, who juggles between shooting and medical studies as a first year MBBS student.