Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
India’s youngest 10m Air Pistol champion Saurabh Chaudhary on Sunday said he never thought of creating a world record while shooting in the final of the event in the World Cup Shooting.
“To be honest while shooting I never thought that I will make a world record. “ he told media persons after the event adding “I never thought of quota, just wanted to do my best.
“I never think about the record. If i think about it, I will never be able to make a world record “he said.
The 16-year old champion admitted that he was pumped up after this win. “It was great to win at home. The crowd was good
Asked about the final, the teenager talked like a seasoned athlete saying the “Final requires different practice and qualifying requires different practice. You have to do accordingly.”
“I knew i had a big lead but didn’t bother about it. I Just kept doing as I was till the end “.
He said he strictly follows the coach’s instructions “ Like other shooters ,I also do what coach instructs me to do.
On the other hand Manu Bhaker said she tried her best. “ There was a lot of support, but I am really sorry I couldn’t make it. I’ll try harder next time.
“I shot as I normally do, never looked back at the crowd. There was not much pressure as much (considering I was) playing at home.
Asked what she thought went wrong she said “ I don’t think I did any mistakes as such, actually my monitor was (facing) the other side, so I didn’t look at it properly. Shooting is basically about technique. I have done my best. It’s unfortunate that things didn’t happen as I would have liked.
“Let me be honest, my performance in 25m was throughout the last year 4th-5th, 5th-6th. In the Asian Games also I was sixth. In Mexico I was 5th. But I am trying very hard”
“I had some problem (pain in the arm) around 20th or 21st (of February), but it is fine now. But it had nothing to do with today’s performance. Better luck next time.
Talking about his coach Manu said ´He (Jaspal Rana) said ‘okay, you have a lot of calibre, you will go very far, don’t worry, no need to cry, just keep going . You have more matches to play, long journey in shooting’. .
“Yes the next world cup for quotas is in China, and the focus remains on quota and performance.
“I have to practice equally to balance both 10m and 25m (performance). I don’t think it will affect my performance in 10m tomorrow. The qualification today was very satisfying. Now I will focus on 10m