Interview: Ronak Pandit on what went wrong for Indian shooting at Tokyo Olympics and the way forward

The Tokyo Olympics witnessed a record-breaking campaign for India but it also showed there is a lot of work to be done for Indian sport to become a consistent powerhouse.

One of the biggest areas of concern from the Olympics was the performance of the shooting squad. The highly-rated squad of 15 participated in 10 events but only Saurabh Chaudhary managed to reach a final (men’s 10m air pistol.)

However, it is not only the performance in Tokyo but the season leading up to it and that showed the first red flags.

Tokyo 2020: Data check – where Indian shooters finished and how far they were from finals

The first sign of trouble was the Delhi World Cup and it only carried on at the second World Cup in Osijek, Croatia where the team was airlifted by the National Rifle Association of India in May for training as the coronavirus situation in India made it extremely difficult to hold a camp. The NRAI had ensured that the Olympic core group had the necessary facilities and infrastructure and in Tokyo, chief Raninder Singh was at a loss to explain where exactly things went wrong. Now, a three-part review is planned.

Even accounting for the pandemic shutdown in 2020, having little competition…

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