“Important to focus on controllables" - Paris-bound shooter Arjun Singh Cheema

Shooter Arjun Singh Cheema is one of the several first-timers to represent India at the forthcoming Paris Olympics. The Punjab marksman has said that the level of training and competition back home has instilled the confidence in him to count the quadrennial showpiece event as just another event.

The 23-year-old Cheema is one of the fast rising shooters in the current Olympic cycle. It is evident from his gold-winning performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games, and the twin silver medals in the Asian Championships earlier this year.

While he narrowly missed a direct shot at earning a quota for Paris by just a solitary point at the Munich World Cup, Cheema balanced that with an exceptional show at the selection trials, to find himself in the 21-member strong Indian shooting contingent.

“It has been a rollercoaster ride for me over the past few years, but the last couple of years have been fruitful as I have been able to deliver consistently. The selection trials also went as per expectations, and I’m happy to finally be on the cusp of my Olympic debut. There is no bigger honor that to represent the country at the biggest global sporting stage,” Cheema told Sportskeeda in a virtual interaction.

"Whatever happened in the past can't be corrected" - Arjun Singh Cheema

Indian shooters drew a blank from the past two editions of the Olympic Games, and Cheema is aware of the pressure of expectations as the sporting extravaganza approaches. Emerging from the intense competition at the domestic level and the multiple international competitions over the past couple of years, Cheema acknowledged that there will be more eyeballs on his performance in Paris than ever, but he is focussed on controlling the controllables.

“At the end of the day, it’s always important to focus on the controllables. Whatever happened in the past can’t be corrected, so the best way is to look forward and give your best foot forward,” he said.

“We have had the best of competitions in India and internationally in the past two-three years. Also if you see the level of competition within India, it is massive, you have to be at your best on the given day to pull off a win. Every shot counts, and it will be the same case in Paris, so I’m taking it as just another competition,” added the former world junior gold medalist.

Cheema, who is currently giving final touches to his Olympic preparations in Austria, said that the focus is on sticking to the process without losing his sleep on the outcome.

“Shooting is a mental game, sticking to the process helps in developing the muscle memory. As such the idea is to stick to the basics but also constantly strive for improvement with focus on the minute details,” he explained while stressing on the importance of mental conditioning in his sport.

“Having a psychologist in the squad make the job easier, at least the mental part of it. There are times when an athlete can feel low for multiple reasons, and thus it is extremely important to have experts dealing in the subject,” he said.

Sharing a rough routine of his training schedule, the Punjab shooter said that the evening sessions are primarily used for mental recovery, an important aspect of a demanding sport in which each point counts.

“The day usually begins with yoga and meditation followed by four-five hours of shooting. The evening sessions are dedicated to physical workout and mental recovery sessions,” he said.

Cheema will be representing India at the 10m Air Pistol event and the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event in Paris. In the Mixed team event, Cheema will be partnered by Rhythm Sangwan.