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India's only gold-winning shooter, Abhinav Bindra, was a serious and focused athlete who relied on yak milk from China and electrodes to map brainwaves to become an Olympic champion. In contrast, India's biggest shooting medal hopeful, Sift Kaur Samra, is an extroverted, fun-loving youth. She relaxes by quoting Diljit Dosanjh, jokes about sleeping in and going to the gym, and maintains a uniquely balanced approach to the pressures of her sport.
Sift, the 22-year-old shooting sensation from Punjab is gearing up for her maiden Olympics with remarkable poise. Competing in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions event, Samra approaches the Games with the mindset of treating it as just another competition. Unlike many athletes who shut themselves off from distractions before the Olympics, Samra maintains a normal life, refusing to put herself under unnecessary pressure. In Paris, she plans to stick to her usual tactics. Her approach to the grand stage of the Olympics is to treat it like any other competition and focus on shooting well, just as she does in training.
Cracking the NEET, winning gold in the women's 50m rifle 3 positions at the 2023 Asian Games by beating China's world champion with a world-record total, and topping the four-stage Olympic selection trials, Samra's journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Her story stands out even among India's recent wave of talented young shooters, showcasing her educational prowess, international medals, and the mental toughness required in the demanding discipline of 50m rifle shooting.
Shooting has been India's Achilles heel in the past few Olympics, but Paris will host India's largest contingent with 21 shooters competing for 27 medals. At least a few are expected to succeed. Speaking about the barren run in the last 12 years, Sift is hopeful that she and her teammates will deliver an Olympic shooting medal for India again.
