Anjum Moudgil was walking into the National Shooting Centre in Chateauroux when she got to know that Swapnil Kusale had clinched bronze in men’s 50m rifle three position, India’s first rifle medal at the Olympics in 12 years.

Buoyed by the news, the 30-year-old felt a spike in confidence as she prepared to shoot in women’s qualifying of the same event. She started well too scoring 196, which included a near-perfect 99 in Round 2, in the kneeling position to be in the top eight (who eventually qualify for the final).

But six 9s in prone let her down and Moudgil had to settle for 194. She tried making a comeback in standing but the damage had been done as the Chandigarh resident finished 18th out of 32 competitors, failing to qualify for an Olympic final for the second successive time.

“I had this experience in Tokyo (too). Usually when the match ends, instantly I do not know whether to feel regret, guilt or what. You don’t like that you’ve missed the final by just a few points and that it was so close,” said Moudgil, who finished on a score of 584, five less than the cut-off for the final.

“I couldn’t really manage in prone and lost six points. It takes a lot of time to understand the real feeling when you’re high on emotion. I was able to push myself back in the match. I was very happy with my patience and calmness but once you miss out on the final you can’t enjoy the good shooting, only feel bad that you didn’t make it.”

A former world No.1 and Arjuna award winner, Moudgil’s failure to make the finals of 10m air rifle mixed team and women’s 50m rifle 3P in Tokyo had her struggling with mental health issues and she needed to consult a sport psychologist. Tokyo has helped Moudgil deal with despondency after Paris.

“This time, I was in a better place. When I couldn’t reach the final, I was very disheartened but I was able to manage my emotions. I would cry for a long time. It was very difficult to handle the emotions, but the situation was far better than Tokyo. I didn’t hide from my emotions, just accepted them,” she said.

After Tokyo, Moudgil, whose career-high was the women’s 10m air rifle silver at the 2018 World Championships, had put herself under immense pressure to perform. She didn’t take a break and that took a toll.

To avoid that, Moudgil is taking a break this time. To remain fit and healthy, the world No.20 has kept herself busy with physical training, yoga and ayurvedic therapy. She has also been travelling and enjoying painting.

“Basically, I am doing everything apart from shooting without following any strict timeline or guideline. I am just doing whatever I wish to,” said Moudgil.

Moudgil will return to competition at the national championships in November-December. “I will continue shooting both 10m air and 50m 3P and take it like a beginner at the start, not really thinking about any particular score because if you focus on your basics and do all the hard work you will eventually get back to where you were.”

Though she hasn’t finalised her calendar for 2025, Moudgil, who is employed by Punjab Police, is clear that she wants to medal at the 2026 Asian Games and is also aiming for her third Games at Los Angeles 2028.

“I have medals in all other competitions – World Championships, World Cups, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships. Only Olympics and Asian Games remain. I want to tick those boxes too.”

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