Olympics medallists Manu, Swapnil set sights on world championships

young new delhi: The twelvemonth after the Olympics is no thirster a restrained one. In the past, athletes could step back, reflect, and return to the sport refreshed. But for India’s shooting stars — Olympic medallists Manu Bhaker and Swapnil Kusale — it has been a rather hectic season, with the most important event, the World Championships, now set to take place in Cairo from November 6–18.

They have successfully crossed the first hurdle of making it to the Indian team, considering the high level of competition in domestic trials where every berth is intensely contested. Pistol shooter Sarabjot Singh, who was Manu’s partner in winning mixed team bronze at Paris Olympics, couldn’t find a place in the squad.

When it comes to domestic trials, Manu was actually never in a spot of bother and managed to maintain her place in the team comfortably throughout the season. She has qualified in both air pistol and sports pistol events for the World Championships.

It wasn’t a smooth ride for Swapnil though. The 50m rifle three position shooter struggled in the first half of the year and missed a couple of World Cups as well. But he came back well in the second half with some good, consistent scores in trials and made his place in the Indian team. The other two shooters in the event are Niraj Kumar and Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar.

Both Manu and Swapnil will shoulder hopes of the Indian team at the worlds. With their experience and ability to raise their levels at major competitions, they will be expected to fire. The medals at the Paris Olympics have prepared them to aim bigger. A world championships medal will do their confidence a world of good before they head into the 2026 season of Asian Games and Olympic qualification.

“I am very positive and optimistic the way the season has gone so far and I will give my best,” says Manu.

“I have put in a lot of hard work, changed my pistol this season and I have looked to improve my performance day-by-day. So, certainly there is the slightest amount of pressure but I am also excited.”

Coming back from the Paris Olympics with two medals, Manu was the toast of the nation. Despite the huge attention she garnered, the 23-year-old has remained mentally strong and never lost focus of her targets. Within a couple of months she was back on the range and kept scoring high enough to keep her position in the team in both her events.

“There will always be pressure... No matter how much experience you have. I always try to deal with the pressure,” says Manu.

She has been steady throughout the season and won World Cup silver in Lima in the 10m air pistol and finished 4th in the 25m event. In Lima, she finished second to India’s new pistol sensation Suruchi Phogat, who has won three world cups including the prestigious leg of Munich. Suruchi will compete in her first senior world championships in Cairo.

“There is still a lot of shooting left this year. After the world championships, we have the world cup finals, National Championships and the new shooting league coming up early next year. I am really looking forward to all these events,” says Manu.

Swapnil, on the other hand, has taken some time to deal with the surge of adulation he got.

“After Olympics I didn’t get much time to train. I would train and then travel. I played less competition this year, focused on rest and recovery as well. But I am happy that this is also a phase and how to deal with it. It has taught me how to clear my mind and stay focussed on shooting.”

The domestic competition is getting tougher with each day and Swapnil realises the need to stay focussed.

“It is difficult (domestic competition). The shooting scores have gone up so much at national level, it’s like you are shooting in an international event. Like we consider 590 a good score and every shooter now has to score above 588 to be in the team which is tough.

“I wasn’t out of the team but scores went down as I was trying out a few things. But I always had the confidence that I will get back.”

While this world championship is important, the next season will bring bigger challenges.

“Yes, it’s an important tournament but next year the Olympic qualification will start and we also have the Asian Games. So that will be crucial,” says Kusale.

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