Highest point has just started in my career; quota winners should only go to Oly: Shooter Naruka

New Delhi, Sep 6 (PTI) His professional career showing a remarkable upswing in the last couple of years, India’s top skeet marksman Anantjeet Singh Naruka says his best is yet to come and credits the discipline and hard work put into training since junior days for the recent results.

The 27-year-old Jaipur shooter, who recently claimed his maiden individual gold at the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan, believes the athlete winning an Olympic quota should represent the country at the Games, effectively challenging the federation’s policy of holding trials months before the quadrennial event.

The victory came on the back of a World Cup Finals bronze last year and silver at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.

Had it not been for a missed clay target, the marksman would have won an Olympic bronze in 2024 Paris alongside Maheshwari Chauhan in the skeet mixed team event.

In a sport that rarely draws as much spotlight as trap, pistol or rifle, Jaipur shooter Anantjeet Singh Naruka has carved his path to the top by following his instincts and learning from his father.

"I think the highest point has just started in my career. I am really interested in my sport. Every morning when I am waking up, I am like, 'okay, I need to go and shoot'," said Naruka in an interaction with PTI on his return from Kazakhstan.

With his transition from junior to senior level slowed by the challenges of Covid, Naruka put in extra effort to sharpen his game. Weighing just 60kg, he also faced the task of adding muscle to his lanky 6’2” frame.

"When Covid hit, everything was halted. After Covid also, there were challenges. I started working out a lot. I wanted to gain muscle because in shooting we need endurance... there is a lot of recoil. To handle that and to compete with international-level athletes, you need physical strength," he said.

"If you have the that, you will be able to control your mind better. So, I changed that and then a lot of discipline." Here's where Italian coach Ennio Falco's guidance came in handy.

"My coach told me, if you have made a plan that you have to shoot (competitively) the next week, you have to go for training for the next five days. I have changed myself discipline-wise, and put in a lot of hard work after 2022. It has helped me mentally," Naruka said.

"When I transitioned from junior to senior level around 2019, I saw that it's a different ball game. I immediately knew I can't be lenient. I have to be perfect." Explaining the challenges of increasing the bodyweight, Naruka said, "In 2020, I told my trainer that I need to work on my body. I gained 12-13 kgs. And when I started shooting back in 2021, I saw the change. I could train for a longer time and put in the extra effort.

Missing bronze at the Paris Olympics by one shot has taught Naruka a lesson -- to turn setbacks into motivation.

"We need to take disappointment as a motivation that 'okay, we reached this far and we are not going to make the same mistake again'. All the experiences gained over the years, I've been using them in competition." The disappointment in Paris was overpowering but realisation dawned soon that it could be used for future success.

"For a few months, I was regretting everything. I could have done better, we could have performed better. It (final) happened so quickly. It was like it started and stopped. It hits you that you lost a big opportunity. But I told myself that if we were so close, maybe next time we can get the medal. I am grateful to be in the final." Quota winners should go to Olympics =========================== Naruka believes that only the shooters winning Olympic quota slots should represent the country in the mega sporting event.

"If I'm getting the quota place for my country, then I should be the one going for the Olympics because I was able to handle that pressure and compete against all these international shooters well at that time. Giving my quota to someone else, I don't believe that's good.

"Because, after you get the quota, you need to focus on the Olympics straightaway and not focus on trials which are coming because that's what happened with us (before the Paris Olympics)," he said.

Citing the example of trap shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta who missed out on Paris berth after winning the Olympic quota, Naruka said, "Bhowneesh won the quota at the Worlds. After that, there were so many trials. He had to be No. 1 to go to the Olympics. I think there was added pressure on him when he was competing (in the trials).

"I think that's where he lost his chance to go to Paris. If someone from the federation would have told him, 'no, you have got the quota and now you are qualified for the Olympics', I think he would have performed even better because he has the talent.

"I remember even in the last trial, I had to shoot a good score to be number one. So, this is all added pressure, I believe." PTI AM AM ATK