NEW DELHI: One thing that’s a given about the upcoming Tokyo Olympics is that these aren’t going to be ‘normal’ Games by any stretch of the imagination.
None, or very few, spectators is one thing, repeated Covid-19 tests the other, while following a strict pandemic protocol and staying ‘Covid-free’ will add to the off-field stressors.
The first set of Indian athletes asked to perform, while dealing with all that and more, will be the archers and shooters.
Deepika Kumari’s World Cup exploits in Paris have raised hopes of a first ever archery medal for India, but it’s the shooters who are expected to be the majority shareholders for India on the medals tally in Tokyo.
A record number of shooters (15), additional events and a proven recent track record make Indians the favourites in more than one event at the Asaka Shooting Range.
It’s not something India has often, if ever, carried to the Olympics – tag of being favourites across events.
Plus, the team has to get the Rio Olympics monkey off its back.
Despite high hopes, shooting drew a blank in 2016.
There’s so much to look forward to, hopefully sans the fear of Olympic jitters, especially with so many debutants among the shooting contingent.
It can work the other way as well, if the youthful fearlessness comes to the fore — like the one displayed by Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker at the 2018 Youth Olympics, while the wise-headed veterans like Sanjeev Rajput aim to finally make an Olympic appearance count..
But the nitty-gritties can be best gauged by those who have been there, done it all.
In that league is London 2012 bronze medallist Gagan Narang, who spoke to Timesofindia.com as part of an exclusive interview.
(Photo: NRAI Twitter)Excerpts…We often talk of mixed team events as our best chance of gold in Tokyo.
Can such talk be demoralising for the athletes when they compete in individual events? Shooters before this Olympics never had to deal with this because mixed events were not there at all…The best way to keep the team motivated is to not talk about medals and expectations.
All of the Olympic contenders have expectations from themselves, from the community.
They are aware of their responsibilities, having trained very hard.
They too want results.
In an ideal world, they would be told to go out and do their best.
Realistically, there will be analysis, there will be talks.
Some will be aware, others won’t be.
I guess as athletes at the top level, they learn to live with it.
Coaches and counsellors will come in handy when they feel stressed or demoralised.
Read AlsoOlympics countdown: Full list of Indian athletes who have qualified for Tokyo Games so farA total of 121 Indian athletes across 18 sporting categories have so far qualified or been named in the final squad by their respective federations for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics slated to begin July 23.Compared to World Cups over the last two years, India had a very average outing in Osijek, Croatia recently.
India won only four medals, including one gold, and finished 10th overall.
What would you attribute that to?We must understand that the idea is to manage the peaks of these athletes.
All of them are planning to peak at the Games.
So World Cup performances don’t really matter.
Some of them were shooting to iron out a few chinks in their armour.
In shooting, a World Cup just before the Olympics is not an indication of their form.
There were other Olympic and World Championship medal winners who did not make it to the final of the events.
(Rahi Sarnobat’s gold in women’s 25m pistol was India’s lone top-place finish at the ISSF World Cup in Osijek – Photo courtesy NRAI Twitter)Who do you think has a better chance of winning a medal and why – fearless youngsters like Saurabh and Elavenil Valarivan or an experienced veteran like Sanjeev?That’s an interesting question.
What makes this team fabulous is this is a squad packed with youngsters, laced with experience.
Sanjeev’s experience can see him through tough situations.
Chances of him bouncing back after falling behind are higher because he has the knowledge and understanding of situations.
I see he has a very bright chance of reigning in a medal.
That’s true to all the other senior shooters in the squad.
Saurabh, Manu (Bhaker), Abhishek (Verma), Ela (Elavenil) and a whole bunch of them are uninhibited.
While they have a strong shooting foundation, they are fearless and can be sensational on their day.
So don’t count out any of the 15.
Because this is Covid Olympics, wait to be surprised.
How did you overcome the big-stage jitters on your Olympic debut?My Olympic debut happened in 2004.
I was one of the youngest members of the Indian contingent, completely taken over by the aura of the Games.
My flat-mate was Col Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who won a silver at the (Athens) Games.
It was a memorable moment for India and made us all dream of winning medals, and I am very lucky to have watched it so closely.
I was very excited to take part in the Games.
I won’t say I had jitters because I was there with a mindset of seeing, feeling and experiencing the buzz.
It’s not something one can explain.
Even the most evolved vocabulary will lack a word or a phrase for the Olympics buzz.
(10m air rifle shooter and world No.
1 Elavenil Valarivan talking to India’s rifle coach Oleg Mikhailov – Photo courtesy NRAI Twitter)Is it a good thing or bad to have the shooting competition in the opening 3-4 days of the Olympics and why so?I think the earlier it is, the better.
One does not have to wait for very long.
Anyway they have waited for five years for this moment.
It’s like an exam, the earlier you can get done is a matter of relief.
At this stage, everyone mostly knows where they stand and it’s best to go out and shoot than keep waiting endlessly.
What number and colour have you put your money on for India’s medals in shooting at Tokyo?I won’t set a number because I hope the result is better than what I am expecting.
Winning gold medals will improve standings on the table but let’s not forget the difference between third and the fourth is often in decimals.
That is true for the first, second and third.
Just give them the wings to fly and they will create magic moments.