Our shooters cracked under pressure

A lot is being said about Indian shooters’ below-par performance in the last few days. Many have trolled them, others have come out in support, too. But let’s not forget that this young lot is carrying – and will continue to carry – the dreams of a billion Indians. Yes, they crumbled under pressure, but let’s not forget this: They are in the Land of the Rising Sun because they are simply the best we have.

However, these performances have given us a lot to ponder upon. A lot of us complain when some political parties don’t announce their candidates till the last minute; this is the same complaint many of our shooting coaches had as until almost the last minute, most of them didn’t know if they would fly to Tokyo or New Delhi from the training camp in Croatia.

The infamous infighting among the coaches is another reason which caused discord in the contingent. We must remember that the nation is above everything else. The shooters can benefit from better support from sports scientists and psychologists. In a sport such as shooting, in which the mind has to be very calm, it is very important.

I feel the NRAI and Raninder Singh did their best, and he should be given his due. NRAI tried everything to put our shooters on the podium. It was due to his vision that the junior shooting programme was started after the Rio Olympics. Junior shooters were provided the best of facilities and exposure.

But a student is only as good as a teacher. The coaches in the current Indian team have varied interests. They have their own academies or are coaching in other private/government clubs. This brings in favouritism and politics. There is also interference from parents and sponsors – most of the times they are given too much liberty to interfere in sport. While a few top shooters had their personal support teams in place, many others missed the presence of a full-time psychologist, physiotherapist and, most importantly, a mind coach who could have helped them over time to be better prepared.

While some are criticising the shooters, it is time that the administrators took some strong actions and reforms to make sure that we are better prepared for Paris 2024.

Former trap shooter Ronjan Sodhi is a Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award winner…