The NRAI on what it took to forge a new breed of young Indian shooters who are storming the world stage
Elavenil Valarivan
With cricket and football being regularly telecast on TV, it's easy to evaluate the progress of the sports and its athletes. But there is one sport where Indians are constantly hitting the bullseye… literally! Shooting. Better still, following in the footsteps of seniors like Abhinav Bindra, Gagan Narang, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and others, a new junior lot, comprising teens Manu Bhaker, 16, Mehuli Ghosh, 17, Elavenil Valarivan, 18, among others, are excelling thanks to a focussed youth approach by the sport's governing body, NRAI (National Rifle Association of India).
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Manu Bhaker
Manu recently won two gold medals at the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara where she shot a junior world record of 572 en route, while Mehuli won two bronze medals in Guadalajara, and more recently Elavenil set a qualification world record of 631.4 while on her way to clinching gold in the 10m air rifle event at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney. Interestingly, Elavenil broke good friend Mehuli's existing qualification world record of 629.1 which was set only a couple of weeks ago.
Mehuli Ghosh
Future's bright
It's a clear indication that young India is not just rising, but also shining in the world of shooting, felt senior shooter Joydeep Karmakar, who is also Mehuli's mentor. "I missed my first international trip, to Barcelona, for the World Championships as a junior in 1998 since the authorities thought there was no hope of a medal. Hence, a contingent was not sent. I was told I could go on my own cost which my father refused. But today's juniors are fortunate. There are more national camps, national and international competitions where they are sent to participate in.
Joydeep Karmakar
At times, there are over 100 junior shooters at a camp and some people have even protested that this number is too high, but this is the best way to attract talent. The NRAI has also appointed some brilliant former shooters like Jaspal Rana, Suma Shirur and Manoj Kumar as coaches for the juniors and the results are there for all to see," said Karmakar, who finished an agonising fourth in the 50m Rifle Prone event at the London Olympics.
Raninder Singh
London Olympics bronze-winning rifle champ Narang was proud of Elavenil who trains at his Gun For Glory Academy in Pune: "The NRAI has done a commendable job with their focus on youth. The new talent pool is very impressive."
Four-time Asian Games gold medallist and current junior coach Rana, who helped Manu make history, said the young champs are chirpy but sharp. "More than coaches… we are mentors. It's not as much about training these youngsters as it is about understanding their mindset and planning accordingly. Each one has a different attitude and that's where mentoring becomes all the more crucial," said Rana.
NRAI chief Raninder (left) promised to continue the good work, but called for more private funding. "We spend 61 per cent of the government's budget allocated to us on the juniors. Until a few years ago, there was no such programme. Many of our juniors didn't even have weapon licenses, so couldn't shoot. Ammunition procurement was also difficult. These are areas where we have helped relax government policies. Today, even some of our 12 or 13-year-old shooters have licenses, and within a couple of years, they are beating our top senior shooters both in India but abroad too.
'Shooting needs funds'
"But, despite shooting being India's fastest growing sport and most consistent medal provider at the Olympics, it still lacks corporate funding. Unless some leading business houses come forward to support the sport, we may find it difficult to maintain this medal surge," said Raninder.
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