The past couple of weeks have been encouraging for Indian shooting. If the three medals at the ISSF World Cup Final that concluded last Sunday weren't enough, the Indian shooters have continued their medal-winning spree at the ongoing Commonwealth Shooting Championships in Gold Coast, Australia.
Anjali Bhagwat, the former world No. 1 shooter, believed these medals were a great sign for the country's shooters going into the 2018 Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
"The cream of the world shooters were competing against each other in the World Cup Final. It was a very tough match for the shooters. We have shown great performances in both the rifle and pistol. So, it's a good sign," Bhagwat, who is part of the jury of Indian Sports Honours, told DNA.
"It's a good preparation for the forthcoming Commonwealth and Asian Games. We have good chances there. We can count on Jitu (Rai) and Heena's (Sidhu) mixed doubles medals. That is a newly-introduced event, and they are dominating that. So, we have a good probability of winning medals at the 2020 Olympics," she added.
Rai and Sidhu bagged gold in the mixed team 10m air pistol event at the World Cup Final in New Delhi, with Sangram Dahiya taking home a silver in the men's double trap and Amanpreet Singh winning bronze in the men's 50m pistol.
But the 2016 Rio Olympics proved that success at the World Cup as well as the Commonwealth and Asian Games doesn't necessarily translate into medals at the Olympics.
Rai, for example, was the 50m pistol winner in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games two years ago, and yet couldn't even make the final at the Rio Games.
Bhagwat, a two-time Olympian who became the world No. 1 in 10m air rifle in 2002, hoped that the mistakes committed in the lead-up to the 2016 Olympics, where Indian shooters returned without a single medal, aren't repeated over the next three years.
"Rio was a case of bad planning. It didn't go very well throughout the year. They were in good form, but a few wrong decisions by shooters and coaches just messed up the preparation," she said.
The 47-year-old said that asking every shooter to train under one coach shouldn't be made a norm.
"Certainly, we have to learn many things from our Rio experience. Like not to force any schedule, don't force any coach on a particular athlete. If that athlete is comfortable with a particular coach, give that freedom because that player is showing the good performances due to the rapport and preparation with their coach.
"Why the compulsion of training under a national coach or a foreign coach? Just because you are spending money on a foreign coach doesn't mean everybody should train under him. Remember, shooting is more of a psychological event. It all depends on your mental strength. If you are disturbed here (points towards the mind), then you really cannot focus. It's not about technique. It's what you think at that last moment," she added.
