New Delhi: Not many professional shooters describe their process as succinctly as Suruchi Phogat. The latest 10m air pistol sensation to emerge from domestic ranges couldn’t care less about techniques such as visualisation or meditation or even the flow state that shooters fret over. Neither does she bother about shooting against Olympic medallists or much-accomplished competitors. “It’s simple. I just pick up the gun and shoot. It’s not a very complicated sport,” she said when asked to explain her process.
One may be tempted to attribute her assessment to inexperience at the elite level, but the results belie any trace of fluke or complacency. Four medals from her first two senior World Cups in Buenos Aires and Lima this April, including three gold, underscore her growing prowess and the 19-year-old will be the one to watch out for when she takes aim at the Munich World Cup from June 8.
“Shooting always felt natural to me. Somehow, I have never had to try extra hard to nail good scores. I hit 580-585 in training which is usually enough to put me in the finals,” she said. “In the finals though, I sometimes tend to shoot a little below par which is one area I am working on and would like to get better in this World Cup.
The Indian shooting contingent had a two-week training camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi where the shooters honed their skills ahead of year’s third senior rifle/pistol World Cup. The 23-member squad is headlined by Olympic medallists Swapnil Kusale and Manu Bhaker.
Besides Bhaker, Suruchi will be accompanied by 19-year-old Asian Games gold medallist Palak Gulia in the 10m event. After the golden harvest in South America, Suruchi will be expected to give a good account of herself in Germany where the competition is going to be sterner with reigning Olympic champion, South Korea’s Oh Yejin, in contention.
“The South American leg didn’t offer a very tough test, but in Munich, almost all top shooters will participate. It will be an exciting challenge,” said Suruchi. “And as far as expectations go, I feel 0.01% pressure on match days. My entire focus is on my shooting.”
“My biggest strength is that I don’t think too much. Even on match days, my mornings are relaxed and easy. I just try to execute whatever I do in training. It doesn’t matter who is shooting next to me. The target is same for everyone,” she added, emphasising that her mindset has barely changed since the time she swept the individual events (junior, youth, senior) at National Championships late last year and followed it up with success at this year’s National Games.
The twin success at World Cups has brought a lot of attention to Suruchi’s unassuming family in Haryana’s Sasroli village. Jhajjar district, known for producing quality wrestlers, has lapped up its latest shooting star and Suruchi is still a little wonderstruck with all the adulation.
“We are simple people who live in a humble house in the fields. When I returned from South America, there were a lot of high-profile people who turned up every day to meet me. I felt a little embarrassed because we don’t have any luxuries to offer our guests. It’s a very humbling experience,” she said.
