Raninder Singh asked the Indian shooting team to prepare well for the “board exams” beginning February 20.
Out of the 10 shooters present at the Constitutional Club of India, only two were below the age of 18 years. The shooters, threfore, had a puzzled look on their faces when Raninder mentioned board exams.
The president of the National Rifle Association of India was referring to the upcoming ISSF World Cup in New Delhi which will offer a maximum of 16 quota places for the Tokyo Olympics. After some good individual performances domestically, the shooters will be aiming to get maximum quotas from the event to be held at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.
India have already bagged their maximum share of two country quotas in the women’s 10m air rifle competition through Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela in the ISSF World Championship in Changwon last year and will compete for the rest of the 14 places in Tokyo. As such, these athletes will not be eligible for quotas, however that does not stop them from winning a medal.
“I will have no pressure of winning a quota here but I will try to give my best and win a medal. The last year was really exhaustive and the off season was very small. So I hope I perform my best,” Chandela said.
A total of 495 shooters will be competeting in New Delhi with the first medal event beginning February 23. Hosts India will be fielding a 34-member squad, including 11 in the non-competition Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) category.
A lot of hopes will be on Saurabh Chaudhary who will represent India in the men’s 10 metre air pistol event. The teenager said that he is all set for his first senior World Cup event.
“I was at home for the last two months and I have had a good off season. I had a good last season and I will try to repeat the results here as well. There are no special preparations. I am doing the same thing,” he said.
Raninder was also confident that India won’t return empty handed from the event. “We have a top fighting fit squad and a good mix of senior shooters and young turks, who have proved their mettle time and again in world class international competitions,” he said.
