How Zoravar Singh Is Preparing For The 2028 Olympics

Indian trap shooter Zoravar Singh is setting his sights on qualifying for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, driven by rigorous training and tactical precision after his World Championships success.

Trap marksman Zoravar Singh has built his career on grit, grind and discipline with his breakthrough coming last year through a rare World Championships bronze, a landmark he insists was no accident but the result of nearly 50,000 clay targets a year and relentless training in all conditions.

"I have done all that and more," said the champion trap marksman, noting that his journey has demanded an "extraordinary workload of nearly 45,000 to 50,000 cartridges a year, backed by constant tactical analysis of when to attack, when to hold back".

Zoravar Singh's World Championship Achievement

Zoravar, 48, became only the third Indian trap shooter to win a World Championships medal after legends Karni Singh and Manavjit Singh Sandhu, with the last such medal -- a gold -- coming in 2006 in Zagreb, Croatia through Manavjit.

For Zoravar, the elusive medal in Athens last year was the culmination of "all the effort he had put in his professional shooting career spanning more than three decades".

"I have been at it since 2022," said Zoravar on the sidelines of an event, marking 75 years of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), here on Monday.

"The plan was clear after the National Games -- to break into the final. I set precise targets for myself, knowing I would have to survive shoot-offs in cut-throat competition just to secure a place in the finals.

"Because only then would a medal become possible. The first goal was simply to reach the final, and after that it was about trusting the process and forgetting the result... and here we are," added Zoravar.

Focus On The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics

With one goal achieved, his next aim is to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, whose qualification cycle will begin with the World Championships later this year.

"We have the World Championships, then next year is a gruelling year and there have been several rule changes also in shooting so we have to comprehend that as well.

"Obviously one who adapts the best is such a short time will be successful," the Delhi marksman said.

In between, there is also the Asian Games in Japan this September†October, but it is unlikely the champion marksman will feature in the Indian contingent due to "peaking" considerations after the World Championships and last year's World Cup Finals, which left him slightly short on momentum.

Training And Preparation Strategies

"Well, that (Asian Games selection) is up to the national federation to decide -- what their selection policy is and what they ultimately choose. As sportspersons, we have to adhere to it," said Zoravar, who has finally been included in the ISSF World Cup Almaty in Kazakhstan in May and the ISSF World Cup Lonato in July as a 'zero' shooter, meaning he will compete without being eligible for medals.

Asked about the demands of trap shooting and his preparation, Zoravar said that every single moment in training and competition has to carry meaning and purpose, with nothing left to chance.

"Every day, every single moment is measured in terms of what I have to do and the goals of the day had to be met at any cost...lots of drills are involved, lots of shooting is involved, analysis of when to be aggressive, when to be passive, when to protect the scores, all these things come into play."

He said he cannot simply follow the path of former trap champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu to shape his own journey, noting that every athlete's experience is different.

"Yes, I do speak to Manavjit and try to learn from his experience, but at the end of the day it is your own journey. Situations and conditions differ for each individual, and it is a work in progress," he added.