Paris Olympics selection trials: Shooter Sift Kaur Samra, riding high from Asian Games, aces first step

Recovering from a poor qualification round, as well as a 1.1 point deficit after the first 15 shots in the kneeling position in the final, Sift looked at ease from the moment she took the lead after a near-perfect second stage in the prone position, and cruised to a comfortable win.

“The mood is normal, not very different,” she said after the match on Wednesday. “Yesterday (qualification) was not a good day for me, but I knew the mistake I was making, so just focused on that and glad it went well today.”

Falling prey to heady expectations after breakthrough performances and world record scores has plagued Indian shooting in the past two Olympics. Pressure, especially of an Olympics, has fallen on young shoulders that are not used to it, and consistency has evaded even the elite crop at times. While conclusions should not yet be drawn, Sift has certainly not stepped off after Hangzhou, returning from the Asian championships with a silver medal earlier this year, and showing composure even under heavy domestic competition at the trials this week.

Remaining keen to play down how much the Asian Games run helped her in the long run – the World University Games, also held in China, was a superior experience according to her – it is hard not to see it as a big confidence-booster.

“I can say I enjoyed that glory. The love I got from everyone was special. Winning a medal was big, of course, but when I came back to India and the celebrations that took place, that was the great thing for me. The celebrations at home were better,” she said. “It was my first Games, of course it taught me a lot… These things teach you how to be calm under pressure.”

Paris, although within her sights, is still a little far away. Sift won the first of four trials – another will take place on Friday, and two more in Bhopal next month. The average of the three best scores of the five participating shooters will be taken into consideration, with bonuses for podium finishes and winning the quota for India. The shooters with the top two averages will be on the flight to the French capital.
Regardless of the process, though, the hopes Sift raised in Hangzhou continue to be high.

Niraj beats big names
The men’s 50m rifle 3-positions category proved to be a lot more competitive, as Niraj Kumar edged big names — record holders and international medal winners — in the first trial on Wednesday.

Niraj shot a winning score of 462.2, with quota-winner and qualification topper Swapnil Kusale (460.9) coming in second, and Asian Games medallist Aishwary Tomar (450.5) coming in third. Chain Singh finished fourth while second quota winner Akhil Sheoran had a disappointing outing, slumping to fifth.

The depth of competition among India’s top shooters was on display in the 50 3P category, with all five shooters in with a shot to come out on top at the end of the second prone position stage, before Niraj established his lead during the standing elimination round, and clutched up with a few high scores to cement his place.