Jr World Cup shooting: Adriyan balances pressure and promise

young new delhi: Joydeep Karmakar had his eyes rigid on the scoreboard at the top out of the firing lane. His boy Adriyan was competing in the final of the rifle 3-position event at the ISSF Junior World Cup at the Karni Singh range. With camera in hand, Joydeep — he is an Olympian and was one of India’s top rifle shooters — had taken a front seat in the stands to watch his son compete.

The final eventually turned into a duel between Adriyan and Dmitrii Pimenov of AIN (neutral athletes), with the rest of the field far behind. Pimenov maintained a narrow lead through the three positions — kneeling, prone, standing.

After 20 shots, Adriyan was tied with Pimenov, but then slipped marginally. He stayed close until the 42nd shot, separated by just 1.3 points, before faltering with lower scores in the final stretch. He settled for silver with 454.8 points, while Pimenov took gold with 459.9. AIN’s Kamil Nuriakhmetov secured bronze with 441.

Junior Asian champion Anushka Thokur claimed gold in the women’s rifle 3-position event, displaying composure and confidence. Anushka, who had qualified with a score of 585-31x, shot 461.0 in the final to finish 6.1 points ahead of Anastasiia Sorokina (AIN), who took silver with 454.9. Anushka won the rifle prone event earlier in the competition.

The 20-year-old Adriyan has been making waves on the junior international circuit this year, winning two individual medals at the ISSF Junior World Cup in Suhl and gold in the 50m rifle 3-positions at the Asian Championships in August. Winning a medal at his home range, with his father present, was doubly special.

“I have been practicing here (NCOE, Delhi) for two years now, and I am very proud that I was able to compete at my home range in an international match and win a medal. It was a difficult final, a lot to learn. I was hoping to get gold, but I can’t complain. The last few shots were not the best,” said Adriyan.

“I think technically and mentally I was fine, but some shots went a bit haywire. It might have been the nerves, the pressure of trying to overtake him and get into the lead.”

As a boy, Adriyan often travelled with his father to competitions, developing a love for the sport. Having learned shooting from Joydeep, he continues to rely on his father for guidance. “He has been a shooter and gone through the same experiences I’m going through now. He has taught me many things that I would otherwise only learn after making mistakes. I can draw on his experience. I grew up watching him shoot, and that’s how I started.”

Joydeep, now a coach, has a wealth of knowledge, but with Adriyan he has learned to balance being the father and coach.

“It’s a fine line. At times as a father I might get emotional, but as a coach I cannot allow even a little anger, frustration, or emotion to creep in when we talk about performance or the technical aspects,” Joydeep told HT.

Adriyan trains under top coaches, including Olympian Sanjeev Rajput, at the national camp in Delhi, but he turns to his father after every match. Joydeep coaches at the MP Academy in Bhopal. “With the communication we share, I usually know how his match went just by talking to him.

“His results at the junior level are very encouraging. He is more mature and calm in training and has improved technically. It was evident in Suhl, where he produced his personal best and a national record (626.7 in prone) in windy and cold conditions. He is handling pressure well. But to compete at the highest level, he needs to calm down a little more.”

Adriyan added: “He is a tough dad but not a tough coach. As a coach, he is very level-headed and strategic. As a dad, emotions might come up at home, but at the range he’s just the coach.”

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