Tokyo Olympics 2020: Indian shooters will learn from failure, says rifle coach Deepali Deshpande

Indian shooters endured a disappointing campaign at the 2020 Tokyo Games. A lot was expected from India’s shooting contingent but only one shooter among the 15 who made it to the Games qualified for the final and the squad returned home with no medals to show. The likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, Manu Bhaker, Divyansh Singh Panwar and Elavenil Valarivan showed talent and promise in the lead up to the Games but couldn’t deliver under pressure at the big stage. National rifle coach and former Olympian Deepali Deshpande is also figuring out what went wrong but she is confident that the experience of Tokyo Olympics will help the shooters during 2024 Paris Games. “The Paris Games are three years away and the next cycle will start immediately. They are all fired up. This experience will teach them a lot. That is some positive to look up to,” Deshpande said in an interview with News18. “In any sportsperson’s career, the number of failures will always be more than the number of successes. It is a part of our lives. I Am glad all of them have taken this in their stride. They wanted to go and straightaway shoot in the trails in Tughlakabad. They wanted to get the feeling that they were fine. But they have been given a two-month break. They badly need that time to recover. I am sure, by the time the Paris Olympics come, we will be more experienced and stronger,” she added. The coach said that they were hoping for three or four medals. A few problems which came up during Osijek World Cup were also sorted and the shooters were well prepared for the Games. “The New Delhi World Cup ended on 28 March and the camp in Zagreb started on 18 May. This gap should not have been there. There should have been some kind of a camp. But of course, these are all reflections. We are still figuring out what actually went wrong. Everyone looked so ready. Whatever issues they had at the Osijek World Cup, they were very temporary and were sorted immediately,” Deshpande said.