Role of athletes in popularising the sport a key criterion
Olympic shooter Anjali Bhagwat is particularly pleased with the confident performances of young shooters making their mark in the international arena.
Anjali Bhagwat, an Olympic shooter and a member of the Sportstaraces Awards jury, is delighted with the achievements of Indian shooters and archers in 2023. Despite a disappointing performance at the Tokyo Olympics, Indian shooters have been successful in recent events. Additionally, Indian archers have also won awards across various categories.
"We changed policies [in shooting], and the game has changed overall. A few new events have been introduced, including mixed team events where we're ranked number one internationally," Anjali said.
She is particularly pleased with the confident performances of young shooters making their mark in the international arena.
"Our young crop is doing so well, and whoever has won the Olympic quota or is on the Indian team is all below 20, the nation's youth. They're winning the junior and senior World Championships and the World Cups. They won the Olympic quotas not just with medals but with good scores. If you look at Sift Kaur Samra, she created a new world record (469.60). Shooting 590+ in the qualification round of a three-position event is challenging; it is an outdoor discipline where light, wind, and other factors can affect your performance significantly. I don't like predicting medals at the Olympics because it's a different ball game. Our shooters are catching up to the world. I am optimistic that our performance in the Olympics will be good," she added. Anjali hailed para archer Sheetal Devi's breakout performances in 2023, which saw her top the world rankings and win medals across several international events.
"I saw her shooting two shots back-to-back on point — we call it a 10.9, a dead centre — that requires tremendous focus and confidence. When you know you're shooting well, you need to have control over your mind, as your thoughts will drift to the podium or some unwanted thoughts might creep in and distract you. But she held her nerves. She was so confident of winning that tournament, and that's the best part," she explained. Anjali is pleased that selecting winners is becoming increasingly difficult each year. "We had difficulties arriving at a conclusion about some of the awards. This time, we've looked at factors like the overall impact on the nation and the overall popularity of the athlete.
“These things matter because we're trying to inculcate a certain sporting culture among the people of the country. We're bidding for the 2036 Olympics.
We need this kind of culture and excitement among people in the country, and how athletes contribute to this also matters," she said about the process.