The deadly COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented postponement as the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Japanese government and the athletes world over agreed that Olympics in July-August this year could not have gone ahead in the present circumstances.
Deepika Kumari is torn between two worlds. One where the doting mother longs to be with her 19-month-old daughter Vedika, and another where the ace Indian archer craves for an elusive Olympic medal.
World Championships silver-medallist Anjum Moudgil is expecting a good performance from the Indian shooting team, which she calls the best in the world, at the Tokyo Olympics later this year. India has seen a host of young shooters make their mark on the world stage since the last Olympics in 2016.
'I would say you have to give six months to a year to give the athletes to kind of even register that person is going (to the Olympics). People are struggling to find their kit. So, things could have been better.'
The Cairo World Cup will be held in all three disciplines -- pistol, rifle and shotgun -- and will conclude on February 1.
The national championship silver and junior world championship bronze-medallist, however, could not replicate her qualification form in the final, only managing a sixth-place finish with a score of 116.
'It was my job to read out their lines to the actors and make sure they spoke them with the right diction, accent and pronunciation. If you look at my photographs from the Sadma set, you will always find me with a file in hand, even when I am in my costume. While Kamal and Sridevi were diligent about their Hindi dialogue, Silk Smitha, while always respectful, was not too interested in her lines or my instructions.'
East Bengal look to revive fortunes in derby
'We used to give these boxers a hammering in the ring and now they are teaching youngsters how to defend. Come on man!' 'People like Akhil Kumar and Jitender Kumar were among the top boxers in the world, but instead of choosing them to train young boxers they are picking people who are yes men.'
Olympian Manu Bhaker displayed complete dominance in 10m air pistol Olympic Selection Trials (OST), shooting a superb score to overcome the challenge of Asian Games medallist Esha Singh in Bhopal on Friday.
Padukone said it's high time that players learn to withstand pressure, take responsibility, and deliver results after receiving significant support from the government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Indian men's hockey team after their bronze medal triumph at the Paris Olympics on Thursday.
India's junior shooting coach Jaspal Rana advised his wards, urging them to follow in the footsteps of Abhinav Bindra and not take things for granted.
There was a phase in Paris Olympic medallist Sarabjot Singh's career when he was not able to lift his pistol even once last year.
Country's archers have proved their mettle at the international level but they tend to choke at the biggest stage.
Singh's comments come just a day after India's foreign coach Baek Woong Ki was denied accreditation for the Games. The Korean, who had reached the French capital with the Indian team after overseeing its preparation in Marseille, said on Saturday that he "was removed from the Olympic coaching role at a critical time" and will now be flying back to India with his return ticket already booked.
The other Indian in the fray, Parth Makhija, who also qualified for the ranking event following an impressive show on Sunday, finished fourth with a score of 258.1, behind 33-year-old Israeli shooter Sergey Richter, who scored 259.9.
A day before the Tokyo-bound Indian shooting contingent hits the range for its first training session in Croatia, Manu Bhaker's pistol will give way to a pen and the shooting gear to her study materials, as she logs in for her BA fourth semester exam.
India's Sanjeev Rajput and Shahzar Rizvi won 10m air rifle and air pistol event finals respectively in the second International Online Shooting Championship on Saturday. The competitors logged in through Zoom app from their respective locations and shot using their Electronic Shooting Targets.
The Meerut-based Vihan shot 73 in the final after topping the qualification earlier in the day. The gold went to 34-year-old South Korean Hyunwoo Shin and bronze to 42-year-old from Qatar, Hamad Ali Al Marri.
Heena Sidhu gave India its third gold medal in shooting at the ongoing Commonwealth Games, leaving a host of seasoned campaigners in the shade in the women's 25 metres pistol event on Tuesday.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, in a virtual meet with representatives of various National Sports Federations (NSFs) last week, said competitive sporting events can start without spectators from August.
The gigantic Stade de France resembled a concert hall hosting a party to celebrate the fortnight of sporting excellence as the breathtaking Closing Ceremony of the Paris Olympics kicked-off with athletes marching into the iconic stadium to thunderous applause in Paris on Sunday.
Manavjit set to be disqualified from Olympic Qualifiers after his gun stock fails test
SAI said the decision was taken to ensure that athletes bound for Tokyo Games, postponed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, have continuity in their training.
Shami was there to receive the honours. He took 24 wickets in seven World Cup games last year.
Coach Jaspal Rana and confidence made all the difference to Manu Bhaker's Paris Olympics campaign
The NRAI is also working on organising 'bilateral engagements for its Olympic squad' subject to approval of the government and the Sports Authority of India.
Shooter Bhowneesh Mendiratta's proposal for financial assistance towards a week-long training camp with foreign coach Daniele Di Spigno has also been approved.
One of India's strongest Olympic medal hopes, ace shooter Manu Bhaker feels preparations 'cannot get better' than the ongoing training-cum-competition tour of Croatia as she works on her consistency ahead of the Tokyo Games.
Buoyed by the record medal haul at the Hangzhou Asian Games, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha on Sunday supported the government's plan to place a proposal to host the 2036 Olympics.
'Jitendra Pratap Singh (his character in Vedaa) believes in the divisive politics of society and that is more dangerous than the regular goons.'
Aditi Swami became the youngest-ever senior world champion at 17 years when she secured India's first-ever individual title at the World Archery Championships with women's compound gold.
Had Dhanush not been disqualified, India would have won the team gold with a junior Asian record. The shooter from Hyderabad could have also won an individual medal as he was placed third going into the finals.
The NRAI said that it made arrangements for a chartered flight for the entire squad to fly to Zagreb
Bindra reminded the squad that "success is not a one-off event".
In a bizarre incident, a national-level shooter recently lost his left thumb when the 10m air pistol cylinder he was filling exploded, at the Karni Singh Range.
Deepika Kumari fell short of a successive Archery World Cup medal in her international comeback after becoming a mother, losing to world No 2 Lim Sihyeon and No 3 Alejandra Valencia in Yecheon, South Korea, on Sunday.
The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has received a request from the chief coaches in rifle, pistol and shotgun disciplines to organise a one-month camp for the Olympic core group to ensure better preparation.
Indicating that things were far from ideal in the ad-hoc panel, Singh said Bajwa wants to take all the decisions by himself, giving a feeling that the previous WFI setup was still in place.
