The brand-new shooting range at Maharana Pratap Sports College was buzzing with the sound of pellets hitting targets as the nation’s best shooters went head-to-head during the 38th National Games.

Shooting has been a hotbed for emerging talent lately, with three out of five Olympic medals at the Paris Olympics coming from this sport.

While the talent pool is growing, the competition at home is tougher than ever. In the women's 10m air rifle category, the stakes are incredibly high, with shooters constantly pushing each other to excel. The battle for a spot at the Paris Olympics was intense, and both quota winners, Tilottama Sen and Mehuli Ghosh, faced tough competition in the Olympic selection trials.

In contrast to Tilottama and Mehuli, Asian Games medallist Ramita Jindal took her chance and secured her place for Paris. During her Olympic debut, she showcased her resilience by bouncing back in the qualification round to reach the finals, ultimately finishing in seventh place.

After returning, Ramita decided to take a three-month break from shooting. "I learned a lot from Paris. One key takeaway is that I need to step up my game in the finals. Qualification is where I shine, but I tend to start slow in the finals and then gain momentum. I keep pushing until the last shot, which sometimes works, but in major events like the Paris Olympics, it can be a different story," Ramita shared.

The 21-year-old found herself in a similar predicament during the women's air rifle final on Thursday. After 14 shots, she was nearly out of the running but managed to rally and finish in third place, having topped the qualification round earlier.

The qualification round was fantastic, but I wasn't as consistent today. I didn't kick things off well, but I managed to bounce back and snag a bronze. The competition at home is definitely getting tougher with every match. You really need to be patient and believe in your skills, Ramita shared.

Competing against a field full of Olympians and medalists from world cups and championships means that even a tiny mistake can really set you back.

On Thursday, Narmada Nithin Raju was in her element. With incredible accuracy and steadiness, she took the top spot. Once she gained the lead in the second series, her shots in the higher 10s helped her create a solid gap. She finished with a score of 254.4, just 0.1 shy of the world record. Arya Rajesh Borse from Maharashtra also showed her strength, taking home the silver with a score of 252.5.

"It's always tough in domestic competitions. Everyone is hitting high scores. Globally, the average score has really gone up," Narmada noted.

She emphasized her strategy of leading from start to finish. "I practiced that way; it was something I visualized. My heart was racing even during the final. Everyone is pushing each other to do better," she added.

Ramita, Narmada, and the other air rifle shooters will need to keep challenging themselves at the domestic level as they gear up for a busy schedule that kicked off with the National Championships last month. The selection trials for the World Cup are coming up next month, and the world championship in Cairo in November is set to be the biggest event of the season.

"Yes, the competition at home is getting tougher with each match. You have to have patience and trust your abilities," Ramita reiterated.

Anish shines in rapid fire pistol

In the rapid fire pistol final, two Paris Olympians, Anish Bhanwala and Vijayveer Sidhu, made it to the podium. Anish scored 31 hits to take home the gold, while Sidhu secured the bronze with 26 hits. Gurpreet Singh from SSCB grabbed the silver medal with 28 hits.

Read Also: Indian Contingent Cleared for Asian Winter Games: 59 Members Approved by Sports Ministry

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