‘Fight for 10m air rifle quota now is within country’
NEW DELHI: Mehuli Ghosh always wears a smile on her face. On the range though, she is focused on hitting the target. The 18-year-old is one of the teenage shooting prodigies who have made a mark at the international level.
But such is the intense competition in Mehuli’s category (10m air rifle) that she doesn’t find herself in the team for the World Cup at home. To add to her pressure, Anjum Moudgil and Apurvi Chandela have already booked two Tokyo Olympics quotas for the country in women’s 10m air rifle. Both Anjum and Apurvi are in the team along with another immensely talented 19-year-old Elavenil Valarivan.
Mehuli will be shooting in the non-competitive MQS category in the World Cup but the youngster is not disheartened. She is happy that India have already won two quotas in 10m air rifle and feels now the competition will be within compatriots to be selected for the Tokyo Olympics.
“Now the fight is in India (to get selected). We don’t have to fight to earn the quota as we have already earned two quotas in 10m air rifle, so I think it would be really interesting,” Mehuli said.
“It is quite exciting because even in national championships, it is not at all easy to win medals. The competition is high and quite international standard. Everyone is shooting too good,” she added. The Bengal shooter, who is coached by Olympian Joydeep Karmakar, said she loves competition and doesn’t feel pressure.
“Competition keeps on motivating me. Scores are improving day by day and nobody is feeling bored. In top five everyone is pushing each other; if someone is shooting a high score, next day the other one is shooting better. We (compatriots) are always pushing the boundary. The seniors are teaching us how to do better and are also getting motivated. It’s working both ways.”
Mehuli, who won silver in 10m air rifle in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, said she is working to improve her consistency. “I am participating in MQS here. I am looking forward to working on my technique, my
shooting, and focusing on myself to shoot better. I am working on my consistency to so that I can shoot my best in all 60 shots.”