Government initiatives like Khelo India, Fit India, and the national, state, and regional centres of excellence have played a vital role in strengthening the country's sporting framework.

Olympian Suma Shirur wins Sports Coach of the Year Award at FICCI Turf 2025

The revamped range will include holistic centre which will include two advanced shooting ranges for air rifle, air pistol, and simulated 50m rifle. Sports

'Every young shooter feels they can succeed': Former Olympic shooter Suma Shirur

Exclusive: Indian shooting team's unsung hero at Paris Games - Suma Shirur

Leander Paes ended India's 16-year wait for an Olympic medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and 8 years later was on the cusp of a second medal. Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi had dominated World Tennis as a doubles pairing and reached the No. 1 ranking in 1999. Both won multiple Grand Slams in the 8 years between Atlanta and Athens and entered the draw as one of the favourites for Gold. The Indian Express though would return without a medal in heartbreaking fashion with Bhupathi and Paes losing a titanic Bronze medal match to Croatia's Mario Ancic and Ivan Ljubicic.

Wion Broadband Olympic Edition: India at Athens Olympics, Glory and Heartbreaks

Indian Shooting's big breakthrough at the world stage was delivered by the Indian Army's Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore. Rathore had put himself in contention for an Olympic medal with steady performances since winning 2 Gold medals at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Rathore's immense self-belief and unwavering focus saw him become independent India's first individual silver medalist at Athens. Rathore's Double Trap silver ushered in a new wave of optimism in Indian sport and led to a massive improvement in facilities and shattered the pessimism that surrounded India's Olympic sportspersons. 2004 Olympic finalist Suma Shirur and Tennis semi-finalist Mahesh Bhupathi recollect their memories of Rathore's triumph at Athens.

WION Broadband Olympics Edition: Rathore ushers in new era of self-belief

The Athens Olympics proved to be another step in the rise of Indian shooting. India's shooting team had been reliant on mostly wildcards to compete at the Games but a spectacular showing at the 2002 Commonwealth Games led to 8 shooters winning quota places for Athens. Abhinav Bindra broke the Olympic record in qualifying and finished 7th in Men's Air Rifle. Suma Shirur had equalled the World record in the Women's Air Rifle earlier that year and she too reached the Olympic final in her event.

WION Broadband Olympics Edition: 2004: The Rise of Indian Shooting

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the coronavirus pandemic was a huge blow for Indian shooting. India's shooters had dominated the global stage in 2019 and a record 15 shooters had earned quota places for the games. 2004 Olympic finalist and high performance coach of the Indian team Suma Shirur believes that the young Indian team members have to be mentored and guided through this tough period. The national rifle association of India is putting in place plans to ensure the shooters do not miss out on training facilities during the lockdown.

Watch: WION Sports Broadband Edition with Suma Shirur

Exclusive: 'Young team needs to be guided in right direction' - Suma Shirur opens up on preparations during lockdown, Tokyo Olympics, and more

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