NEW DELHI, MAY 05,
They are the first two Indian shooters to win the quota for the Olympic Games in Tokyo 2020. With the quota places belonging to the country and not to the individual shooters who win them, the onus is on Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil to stay ahead of the rest to ensure their entry for the Olympics.
However, the two have stepped up their shooting so much, that they not only top the list in the country, but are the No. 1 and 2 in the World in women’s air rifle.
“I am happy to get back to rank No. 2 as I had slipped to No. 3 after January,” said Anjum.
26-year-old Apurvi won the Olympic quota by placing fourth in the last World Championship. She won the air rifle gold with a world record in Delhi in February, and then went on to top the qualification list in the World Cup in Beijing.
Apurvi had competed in the last Olympics in Rio. She had earlier won the World Cup Final silver, and a World Cup bronze. She had shot to prominence with the Commonwealth Games gold medal in Glasgow in 2014.“It is a dream come true personally, but there is still a lot left to do. I am focused on that,” said Apurvi.
Even as she celebrates her jump from No. 2 to No. 1, despite not winning a medal in the World Cup in Beijing, Apurvi is ready to tune further for the competitions ahead.
“I have a few more important competitions this year. So, I am training for that,” said Apurvi.
There are two more World Cups, and there will be a World Cup Final for top shooters like Apurvi and Anjum, apart from the Asian Championship in Doha in November, before the season winds up.
“I think it is not about overtaking anyone. My focus is just not to repeat the mistakes I make, and learn as much as I can. And implement that in matches. I am just loving the process even more now,” said Anjum.
In a sport like shooting in which there are only a handful of competitions in a season that fetches the world ranking, the trick is to stay glued to the process and deliver when it matters.
It is the Tokyo Olympics that is the goal of these two ladies. The milestones along the way only strengthen their resolve to be at their energetic and technical best in July 2020.
