New Delhi: Sift Kaur Samra experienced a remarkable ascent in the realm of international shooting, but the Paris Olympics left her feeling disheartened. Struggling to meet her own lofty expectations, the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games champion was disappointed with her 31st place finish in the 50m rifle three positions event at the National Shooting Center in Chateauroux.

She mentally replayed the match multiple times, seeking to identify her missteps. One realization she came to was that the Olympics are unlike any other competition due to the intense anticipation surrounding the event. As a leading Indian shooter, entering the Olympics as both a world record holder and a favorite for a medal brought significant pressure. This was a sentiment shared by pistol shooters Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker in Tokyo, and Sift experienced it firsthand in Paris.

In response to her setback, she opted to confront her challenges on the shooting range. Just a day after returning from Paris, Sift resumed training for her state trials and subsequently participated in the World University Shooting Championship in Delhi. She surrounded herself with a close-knit group of fellow shooters in the capital, focusing on her training while allowing both her mind and body to recuperate. Once she felt stable on the range, Sift took a break to spend time with her family in Faridkot at the beginning of the year.

She quickly regained her form in domestic competitions, securing a gold medal at the National Games and achieving impressive scores in the selection trials. In her first major international event since Paris, Sift made a strong comeback by winning her first individual gold at the ISSF World Cup. Despite facing challenging windy and cold conditions in Buenos Aires, she was resolute in her determination to succeed. Competing against a world-class field that included two Swiss rivals, reigning Olympic champion Chiara Leone and 2021 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist Nina Christen, Sift excelled in the qualification round with an outstanding score of 590.

Although she had a shaky start in the kneeling position during the final, Sift rallied in the prone and standing positions, gaining confidence with each shot.

“She is still young in shooting and it has taken her some time to overcome the Paris setback. She has been dealing with it in her own way, being in her comfort zone and with friends. She was training, competing after Paris. She had a sore shoulder to take care of. When she was competing in national competitions she was still carrying some of the baggage from the Olympics, but today I felt she was very comfortable, stayed focussed, much like her old self,” said the Dronacharya awardee.

Two months ago at the National Games in Gujarat, Sift looked back at her performance in Paris and felt it was just not her day. “I don’t know what really happened. But I think we put too much focus on one competition (Olympics). Everyone kind of reminds you of your match and it is like everyone is watching you. Then you feel like “oh, you have to be more focused”. It’s not like other competitions,” she had told HT.

Silver for Esha, Manu 6th

Following her achievements at the Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker returned to international competition and qualified for the final of the 25m pistol event, ultimately finishing in sixth place. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist started strong but lost momentum as the match continued. On the verge of elimination, she was defeated in the shoot-off against Germany's Doreen Vennekamp. Manu is set to participate in the 10m air pistol and mixed team events.

Esha, a medallist from the Asian Games, demonstrated remarkable consistency throughout the 45-shot final. She executed three flawless series, securing her a second-place finish with a total of 35 hits, earning her second individual medal at the ISSF World Cup. Her first medal was also silver, achieved in Cairo in 2022. The gold and bronze medals were claimed by China, with Sun Yujie winning gold with a score of 38 and Sixuan Feng taking bronze. Manu qualified for the final in third place with a score of 585, while Esha finished seventh with a score of 579.

In the men's 50m rifle three positions event, the experienced Chain Singh secured a bronze medal. All participating Indian shooters, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, Niraj Kumar, and Chain Singh, successfully qualified for the final, with Singh finishing third with a score of 443.7.

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