NEW DELHI: Indian shooting is on a roll. With young talents like Manu Bhaker, Anish Bhanwala and Saurabh Chaudhary, among others, setting the world stage on fire, shooting is possibly witnessing its most glorious period in the country post the Rio Olympics debacle.
The ever-reliable senior shooters, acting as a guiding light to juniors, have added to the glitter by bringing medal laurels to the country from the Gold Coast CWG, Jakarta Asian Games and the Changwon World Championships.
However, it’s the performance of Manu, Saurabh, Tushar Mane and Mehuli Ghosh at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics in Argentina – all four of them won a medal – that has underlined the fact that Indian shooting is headed in the right direction on the road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Indian junior shooting’s chief coaches, Jaspal Rana and Suma Shirur, are basking in the glory of their wards’ success. However, the coaches are also a worried lot. Jaspal’s worry is not related to on-field issues, but off-field ones which, he fears, might destroy the careers of several promising Manus, Saurabhs and Anishs.
Jaspal’s main concern or rather his main job at hand is to “keep these shooters grounded and protect them from the lure of fame and money”.
“I have been a coach for last 6-7 years now. I have seen a lot of kids coming and going just because we (read: the coaches, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and the government) can’t protect them from the distractions of life like fame, money and luxury. The biggest setback for me as a coach is that I lose a couple of good shooters every year because they were not on the right track. And I fear the same for Manu, Saurabh, Anish, or for that matter, every other promising junior shooter on the horizon,” Jaspal told TOI from Buenos Aires.
“I can’t blame the kids. Of course, they don’t understand that much. It’s the people around them who misguide them. Soon, they will be out of the team because of these distractions. And eventually, it’s the country loss. It’s the job of the federation and the government to keep the flock together,” he added.
After the success of young shooters, leading brands, sponsors, corporate houses and sports management firms are lining up to sign them as their brand ambassadors. Add to this the hefty cash award showered on them by their respective state governments and the sports ministry. The shooters are busy attending felicitation functions and brand promotion events, leaving them with little time to concentrate on shooting.
Jaspal says this is where distraction is bound to hit them. “Presently, Manu and Saurabh have been awarded Rs 3-5 crore each.
“They are sitting on crores. If somebody gives you Rs 5 crore and tells you not to get distracted, I think either you are completely mad or I am. It’s impossible for a 16-year-old, who has just started winning medals globally, to keep the distraction part away,” he said.
So, what’s the solution? Jaspal explained: “I am not saying that don’t give them the money. But the companies, authorities and government have to understand they cannot give this money to kids straightaway. This money should go to their bank accounts and once they are 18 or 21, they can use it or, may be, can use the interest on that money. The people back home in India need to give these shooters some breathing space.”
The ever-reliable senior shooters, acting as a guiding light to juniors, have added to the glitter by bringing medal laurels to the country from the Gold Coast CWG, Jakarta Asian Games and the Changwon World Championships.
However, it’s the performance of Manu, Saurabh, Tushar Mane and Mehuli Ghosh at the Buenos Aires Youth Olympics in Argentina – all four of them won a medal – that has underlined the fact that Indian shooting is headed in the right direction on the road to 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Indian junior shooting’s chief coaches, Jaspal Rana and Suma Shirur, are basking in the glory of their wards’ success. However, the coaches are also a worried lot. Jaspal’s worry is not related to on-field issues, but off-field ones which, he fears, might destroy the careers of several promising Manus, Saurabhs and Anishs.
Jaspal’s main concern or rather his main job at hand is to “keep these shooters grounded and protect them from the lure of fame and money”.
“I have been a coach for last 6-7 years now. I have seen a lot of kids coming and going just because we (read: the coaches, National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) and the government) can’t protect them from the distractions of life like fame, money and luxury. The biggest setback for me as a coach is that I lose a couple of good shooters every year because they were not on the right track. And I fear the same for Manu, Saurabh, Anish, or for that matter, every other promising junior shooter on the horizon,” Jaspal told TOI from Buenos Aires.
“I can’t blame the kids. Of course, they don’t understand that much. It’s the people around them who misguide them. Soon, they will be out of the team because of these distractions. And eventually, it’s the country loss. It’s the job of the federation and the government to keep the flock together,” he added.
After the success of young shooters, leading brands, sponsors, corporate houses and sports management firms are lining up to sign them as their brand ambassadors. Add to this the hefty cash award showered on them by their respective state governments and the sports ministry. The shooters are busy attending felicitation functions and brand promotion events, leaving them with little time to concentrate on shooting.
Jaspal says this is where distraction is bound to hit them. “Presently, Manu and Saurabh have been awarded Rs 3-5 crore each.
“They are sitting on crores. If somebody gives you Rs 5 crore and tells you not to get distracted, I think either you are completely mad or I am. It’s impossible for a 16-year-old, who has just started winning medals globally, to keep the distraction part away,” he said.
So, what’s the solution? Jaspal explained: “I am not saying that don’t give them the money. But the companies, authorities and government have to understand they cannot give this money to kids straightaway. This money should go to their bank accounts and once they are 18 or 21, they can use it or, may be, can use the interest on that money. The people back home in India need to give these shooters some breathing space.”
Source : timesofindia[dot]indiatimes[dot]com
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