India’s star shooter Rudranksh Patil said that his immediate focus is on the ISSF World Cup to be held in China. He called it an important milestone before the Asian Games and said that the team will finalize its preparations through this tournament.
Indian shooting sensation and former world champion Rudranksh Patil says his immediate focus is the upcoming ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou, China, which will prove to be an important step towards the 20th Asian Games to be held later this year.
The comments came during a media day organized by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) at the Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on Friday, hours after India’s rifle and pistol team left for Hangzhou, China. The trap team is scheduled to leave on Monday.
The 22-year-old Patil, who has been included in the men’s 10m air rifle and 50m rifle 3 positions events for both the ISSF World Cup and the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, said the team intends to use this World Cup to finalize its preparations for the continental competition. Patil told ANI, “Training is going very well. Right now we have a World Cup in China. The entire team is very prepared for it.”
Asian Games preparation and World Cup balance
Talking about striking a balance between the two major competitions, the 22-year-old said, “This upcoming ISSF World Cup in China before the Asian Games is our first priority. So our try is to see what is happening in this competition, what we can work on, and we will implement that during the Asian Games. To prepare for the Asian Games, everyone already has a target as to when and how they will be at their peak for that match. So, everyone is working towards that. Has been.”
The ISSF World Cup in Hangzhou is expected to provide another valuable platform to India’s young rifle shooters as they prepare for the Asian Games, where the shooting competitions will be held at the Aichi Prefectural General Shooting Gallery in Japan from September 17 to October 3.
When the shooting journey started by chance
Patil, who created history by winning gold in the men’s 10m air rifle at the 2022 ISSF World Championships and became only the second Indian after Abhinav Bindra to claim a world title in the event, also revealed how an unexpected move turned him towards shooting.
Born in Thane, Maharashtra, Patil initially played chess and football, but discovered shooting when his family settled in the city. Talking about his foray into shooting, Patil said, “There were a lot of transfers within the state because of my mom and dad’s jobs. Every district had a different specialty. So, I used to play the sport that was specialty of that district. When we shifted almost permanently to Thane, a shooting range was open there. I tried shooting there, and that’s where I met my first coach, Snehal Kadam ma’am.”
He credited his first coach and his parents for keeping him motivated during his early years. She added, “She was the first coach who called me back and said, ‘Hey, you’re doing good, come back.’ Till then, no coach had ever called me; I used to go myself. When I got that encouragement, my parents became even more encouraged than me. They forced me to go every day, and when I started winning medals, I was also encouraged.”
Mental and physical preparation routine
Asked about which events he will be competing in in the coming months, Patil confirmed, “In both the World Cup and the Asian Games, I am competing in the 50m rifle 3P and 10m air rifle events.”
The youngster also shed light on the routines that help him stay mentally and physically sharp. Patil concludes, “For the eyes, we do ‘tratak’ (gaze meditation). Most athletes do. We start with a mental warm-up here; our support staff guides us through a variety of exercises for the eyes and mind. For physicality, we have strength and conditioning (S&C) through Team India. They get us through workouts every evening, and we are in a good routine.”
Indian team went to Hangzhou
India have sent a strong rifle and pistol contingent to Hangzhou, with several experienced names and emerging talent hoping to build momentum ahead of the Asian Games later this year.
India’s rifle and pistol team
* Men: Parth Rakesh Mane, Himanshu Dhillon, Shahu Tushar Mane, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, Neeraj Kumar, Rudraksh Balasaheb Patil, Kedarling Balkrishna Uchganve, Kamaljeet, Anish, Omkar Singh, Bhavesh Shekhawat.
* Women: Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Uttam Maskar, Sakshi Sunil Padekar, Aashi Chowksey, Vidrasa K Vinod, Tilottama Sen, Suruchi, Sanyam, Isha Singh, Manu Bhaker, Rahi Sarnobat.
India’s trap team
* Men: Udayveer Singh Jazzy, Bhavneesh Mendiratta, Vivaan Kapoor.
* Women: Pragati Dubey, Kirti Gupta, Rajeshwari Kumari.
(ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)