Medal hunt for Manavjit Singh Sandhu

Carrying over a billion people’s hopes to win an Olympic medal at Beijing, World Champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu says he is learning to handle pressure of the big stage to live up to the expectations.

Manavjit, who was awarded Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award last year, said a lot would depend on how contestants handle pressure at the Games.

“Atmosphere in the Olympics are entirely different than other international events, you can’t compare those. Every competitor feels pressure there. Handling the pressure wisely is going to be the key to success,” he said.

“The real challenge is to pick up at the right moment. That’s the challenge which every contender has to face,” he said.

The Chandigarh pro returned after a miserable show in the World Cup in Kerville, US but was not bothered as he was concentrating on sharpening his skills and conserving his energy for the Olympics, to be staged in August. “Unfortunately I couldn’t participate in that event properly due to high fever,” Manavjit said.

“But it’s not necessary to win every tournament on the threshold of Olympic Games.
Shooters should try to hone their skills and avoid competition before the Olympics, to conserve energy,” he said.

“These events are sort of match practices, where we can try out new different strategies and sometimes new techniques to improve ourselves for the highest level,” he added. Manavjit said he was at ease with his equipment which he had modified recently. “We are fully committed and ready to leave no stone unturned to perform well in the Olympic Games. I have charted my progress during the hard practice sessions and am hopeful that it will have an impact on my show in Beijing.

“I have made a number of changes, especially in my equipments while practicing, which has put me in a stable position and I don’t have to change anything now just before the
Olympics,” he said.