Arjun Singh Cheema is self-focused. Ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, he is fixated on keeping things simple. There is no athlete he wants to focus more on, in Paris, than himself.
Hailing from Mandi Gobindgarh in Punjab, 23-year-old Cheema is set to make his Olympic debut with the confidence and poise of a seasoned shooter.
Cheema will compete in the men’s 10m air pistol event alongside Sarabjot Singh and join forces with Rhythm Sangwan for the 10m air pistol mixed team event at the Olympics.
“The aim is just going to be to trust the process and stick to it,” said Cheema to Scroll.
He had narrowly missed qualifying for the Tokyo Games in 2021 and although things did not align as expected, Cheema gradually recovered from that disappointment and addressed certain areas for improvement.
Looking ahead to the Paris Olympics, Cheema said, “From an athlete’s perspective, it will be like any other competition for me, and I will keep striving to give my best.”
Recognizing setbacks as opportunities for growth, Cheema identified areas for overall improvement and pursued enhancements over the years.
Cheema’s background in swimming has strengthened his shoulders and provided him with flexibility, which proved invaluable in the early stages of his career.
“It is the mental aspect and the discipline of the game that was helped by swimming a lot,” said Cheema.
Shifting from swimming to shooting was a decision he took when he decided to forego his education at The Lawrence School in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh and stay back in Punjab instead.
“I had an interest in guns,” said Cheema, a former world junior championships gold medallist. “I went to the range and liked it and slowly, I shifted to shooting. I decided that I would study in Punjab and continue pursuing my dream side by side.
“It was difficult but with the support that my family gave me, it became a good base. That I also had the dedication helped me a lot.”
Cheema’s background in sports was bolstered by his family’s strong athletic heritage. His grandfather Sardar Balwinder Singh Cheema played football. His father Sandeep Singh Cheema played cricket and his uncle held an Asian Junior Powerlifting record.
“Because I’ve been hearing about sports since childhood and sport being in our family for generations, I had a mindset from the very beginning which helped a lot,” added Cheema.
In 2015, about six kilometers from his hometown, in the city of Khanna, Cheema began his professional career at the Doctor Khurana Shooting Range. He then moved to Patiala and was initially trained under coach Parvez Joshi.
Since 2018, however, his coach, mentor and guru is Satguru Das, a former national shooting champion and the coach for the Indian junior team.
The Olympic Selection trials for shooting had been a rigorous and extensive process. The first set of trials took place at the Karni Singh Ranges in New Delhi, while the subsequent trials were conducted at the MP State Shooting Academy in Bhopal in May.
Overall, four trials, each consisting of two sets, were held to determine the final squad for the Olympics. The best three scores from these trials were be considered to calculate the Final Average Score.
Cheema believes the extensive trials prepared him well to handle the pressures of the Olympics.
“It was down to good teamwork with my shooting partners and good coordination between me and my coach,” said Cheema. “I won’t say it was a good performance but there were areas on which I could see I am lagging behind and those are the areas that I am covering today.”
The Hangzhou Asian Games gold medallist in the air pistol team event said that his training regimen for Paris will prioritize technical aspects and mental preparation for Paris.
Following the Olympic selection and his participation in the Munich World Cup, he pinpointed specific areas needing improvement. In the lead-up to the Olympics, he is focusing on refining these aspects to enhance his performance.
Simultaneously, he is ensuring that the significance of the occasion does not overwhelm him beforehand.
“I’m not taking this as my first Games,” asserted Cheema. “I am just considering it as a regular event.”
