Unfazed by Olympic pressure, Exuberant Sift Kaur Samra eyes fairytale debut

India’s only gold-winning shooter, Abhinav Bindra, was a serious and focused athlete who relied on yak milk from China and electrodes to map brainwaves to become an Olympic champion.

In contrast, India’s biggest shooting medal hopeful, Sift Kaur Samra, is an extroverted, fun-loving youth. She relaxes by quoting Diljit Dosanjh, jokes about sleeping in and going to the gym, and maintains a uniquely balanced approach to the pressures of her sport.

Sift, the 22-year-old shooting sensation from Punjab is gearing up for her maiden Olympics with remarkable poise. Competing in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions event, Samra approaches the Games with the mindset of treating it as just another competition. Unlike many athletes who shut themselves off from distractions before the Olympics, Samra maintains a normal life, refusing to put herself under unnecessary pressure. In Paris, she plans to stick to her usual tactics. Her approach to the grand stage of the Olympics is to treat it like any other competition and focus on shooting well, just as she does in training.

Cracking the NEET, winning gold in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2023 Asian Games by beating China’s world champion with a world-record total, and topping the four-stage Olympic selection trials, Samra’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Her story stands out even among India’s recent wave of talented young shooters, showcasing her educational prowess, international medals, and the mental toughness required in the demanding discipline of 50m rifle shooting.

Shooting has been India’s Achilles heel in the past few Olympics, but Paris will host India’s largest contingent with 21 shooters competing for 27 medals. At least a few are expected to succeed. Speaking about the barren run in the last 12 years, Sift is hopeful that she and her teammates will deliver an Olympic shooting medal for India again.

Q: Take us through your journey and struggles as a shooter.

Shooting was never a co-curricular activity from Day 1. My dad said, ” If you want to practice shooting, do it seriously and don’t waste money. Shooting is a sport that requires focus and patience. For that, I don’t do anything special. It has been an interesting experience, the journey has been fun. I think when you reach the top, you forget your struggles.

Q: How did you choose the Three-position rifles–toughest discipline in shooting?

A: I did not choose 3P shooting, it chose me. I did not know about the 50m shooting or the 10m shooting. It was always like I starting 10m shooting but 50m suited me and it felt like it had chosen me. Kneeling is the toughest position and I am trying to get better.

Q: How do you deal with the mental aspects of shooting in a major tournament?

A: It depends. Everyone has his or her own way of handling the mental aspects of shooting. For me yes, there are lot of thoughts during shooting but I have that ability where I can switch it very quickly. That’s a good point for me so I can handle it without any fuss. (handle mental pressure)

Q: How different is the pressure of competing at the Olympics from the World Cup?

A: For me, it’s the same thing, in every competition we have to perform and win and this competition also. It is the name (on the pressure of Olympics). I think people don’t know much about the World Cup, the Asian Games, the University Games. According to the chart, the University Games are much more bigger than the Asian Games. People just know about the Olympics. The only different thing is the special attention Olympics gets. For us it is the same, we have to do the same process, same techniques and same match. Let’s see hopefully it’s good. Everyone has lots of wishes and even I have too, so let’s see.

Q: How is a shooter’s day apart from shooting at a range? And how do you unwind after shooting?

A: When I am on shooting range, I am a totally different person and when I step out of the range, it’s totally a Punjabi girl a talkative one so its quite easy for me to forget whatever I have done on the range. Coming out and talking to the staffs, coaches and friends, chatting on the phone, checking out social media and listening to Diljeet Dosanjh songs.

Q: What advice did you get from your senior teammates regarding the Olympics and the pressure of the big games?

A: Talking about it and thinking about it as the pressure of the Olympics, I don’t think like that. For me it’s like a tournament as I have short-term plans for every tournament. This is not the end as there are many tournaments even after the Olympics. Have to prepare for them and Olympics is part of my journey but it is very important as it comes once in every four years. My seniors talked about their experiences from the last World Cup because World Cups or the University Games, I was also excited. Then I played university game. It was really fun for me. Then they talk about the World Cups. They have what, mother? That out there then it was a mini World Cup for me. But they always say the Olympics is a really good thing. And you go you go there and you gonna enjoy it. So yeah, I will enjoy that.

Q: You have the chance to heal Indian shooting’s scars at the Paris Olympics. What’s your target and belief?

A: I have my personal targets. But can’t predict things as it’s all about what will happen on that particular day. Hopefully good things will happen. Will get whatever’s written in my destiny. Thank you so much. So, yeah, we will give our best in all disciplines of shooting and hopefully this year will be great for all of us.