I've learned to handle pressure, says India's Tokyo Olympic-bound pistol shooter Rahi Sarnobat

Rahi Sarnobat's quotes for this interview are from the months of May and June

A good finish in Europe's final Olympic preparatory phase has added to the confidence of India’s Tokyo Olympic-bound women's pistol shooter Rahi Sarnobat.

Last month, Rahi, who will compete at the Tokyo Olympics in the women's 25-meter pistol, got a shot in the arm by winning a gold medal at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Osijek. It gave her a major confidence boost going into the Summer Games.

Rahi Sarnobat had an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda and this is what she had to say, going into the Tokyo Olympics.

“This (the gold medal at Osijek) gives me an assurance that I am on the right track. In the preliminary round I shot 591 out of 600 while in the final I scored 39 out of 50 points to win title."

She had to battle COVID-19 at the beginning of the year. It added to the pressure of missing training for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. But she exhibited extreme maturity in tackling things and regained her lost form.

What did Rahi do after New Delhi’s ISSF World Cup in March?

It took her nearly a month to get back to normal training as she was quarantined for 15 days. She recovered from COVID-19 in April, but took precautions so that her final preparation for the Tokyo Olympics would not be disrupted.

Even during the European two months training camp, organized by the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), from mid-May to mid-July in Zagreb, Rahi took all precautions to avoid getting infected with virus again.

To stay healthy, Rahi had to rely on Indian spices including turmeric.

“Vitamin C was also part of my luggage to improve my immune system during training in Europe. I also used a steamer machine to inhale steam to relax the muscles of the respiratory system,” she said.

Having recovered from the virus, fear has gripped her mind. Despite training in Europe, she was constantly in touch with her family members back in India.

“It is different situation to tackle. While we are away from home to prepare for the Olympics, our family and relatives are all in India.,” she added.

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According to Rahi, the training camp in Europe was a good option as India was reeling under the second wave of the virus.

“It was good opportunity to compete in the European Shooting Championship in May and World Cup in June. The two competitions gave a good break from normal training,” she added.

Rahi will be competing in her second Olympics. Her first was the 2012 London Olympic Games. She missed the 2016 Rio Olympics as she couldn’t win a quota place due to an elbow injury.

The international pistol shooter from Maharashtra said since the Tokyo Olympics were rescheduled it had become a big challenge to peak at the right time. Rahi signed off by saying:

“But I've learnt to handle pressure. Hope I’m able to give my best in Japan."