Ramita, Elavenil's performance in Paris Olympics signals rise of rifle shooting in India, says coach Neha

New Delhi, Aug 20 (IANS) Even though they missed out on a medal, the fine performance by Ramita Thapar and Elavenil Valarivan at the Paris Olympic Games signals the rise of rife shooting, says coach Neha who is associated with Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation and Gun For Glory Shooting Academy.

The 20-year-old Ramita reached the Final in her Olympic debut, becoming the first female shooter after Suma Shirur to do so. While she finished seventh in the final, her remarkable comeback in the last series of the qualification and her brave performance in the final won hearts. Elavenil also started strongly in the qualification round but missed out on a chance to reach the final.

The performance of the two shooters showcased the success of the shooting programme at the Gagan Narang Sports Promotion Foundation (GNSPF) where both have them have trained under the impeccable guidance of coach Neha.

Speaking on their performance, Neha said, "Both Elavenil and Ramita performed really well, and I am very proud of them. Elavenil started strong in the qualification round but her last three shots affected the final outcome. Ramita, on the other hand, had a good start and made a remarkable comeback in the last series, reaching the final in her debut at just 20 years old is amazing. As for improvement, there's always room to get better, even if you win a medal."

The rifle programme at the GNSPF has become a cornerstone to elevating shooting sports in India since its inception in 2011. Across the 12 academies situated in seven states, over 600 athletes train each year.

The training programme includes India’s first-ever curriculum-based training, which has been divided into levels: Foundation, Bull's Eye, National Preparatory Course (NPC), and High-Performance Training Course (HPTC). The structured approach is aimed at ensuring comprehensive development at every stage of an athlete's journey.

"Both the shooters have shown tremendous growth since they began training with us. I have been training Elavenil for the past two editions of the Olympics, and Ramita has also been training under me for a long time now. We worked on various factors including developing skill-set and developing the Olympic mindset," coach Neha further elaborated on how the programme helped in the development of the two rifle shooters.

GNSPF holds an impressive track record of producing top-tier athletes. One of the unique facets of the academy remains that the training program is tailor-made to suit the specific requirements of individual athletes.

"There is a difference in the level of experiences between Elavenil and Ramita, and hence, we had to prepare different training programs for each of them to prepare them for the qualification rounds and finals. The competition requires technical endurance, strategic breaks, and mind-conditioning. Elavneil also gained a lot of experience from our flagship program Project Leap, which was launched in 2018. We prepared both of them with their spare rifles and good pellets before they left for the competition," coach Neha said.

"The support from GNSPF has been important. The organization creates a positive environment that inspires both me and all our athletes. Specifically, the culture and love for shooting that GNSPF fosters is exceptional," she said.

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