Tough transition awaits Indian junior shooters
India's junior shooters excelled in 2023, topping medal tallies but face tough transitions to senior competitions ahead of the 2026 Asian Games and 2028 Olympics.
New Delhi: The transition from juniors to seniors is one of the toughest phases for any athlete. The competition, expectations and pressures at the elite international level are several notches higher. Many of India’s promising junior shooters are preparing to make that leap with the 2026 Asian Games and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in mind.
India’s juniors have dominated this year, topping the medal tally at the ISSF Junior World Cups in Suhl and Delhi. Many posted big scores and underlined their potential. But the step up will be daunting. Even seasoned shooters feel the heat of selection trials, where competition is cut throat for a place on the senior team.
“I will be competing with seniors from next year. I have to prepare my mindset and I’ve already started working towards that. In the last trials, I competed at the senior level,” says 21-year-old Tejaswani, who won silver in the women’s 25m pistol on Wednesday.
Tejaswani fought hard against Tikhonova Aleksandra of AIN (Individual Neutral Athletes). Both were tied on 26 hits before Tikhonova pulled ahead in the closing shots to clinch gold.
India topped the medals table at the Delhi Junior World Cup with 19 medals, having finished No.1 at last year’s Junior World Championships in Peru too. Guiding this new generation are some of India’s former best — Olympians Sanjeev Rajput, Jitu Rai, Samresh Jung and others.
“They should focus on building a strong base. As long as age permits (21 years), they should continue in juniors and prepare for the transition. When they move up, their scores should be strong enough to compete neck and neck. They must also play as many finals as possible in juniors to handle the pressure,” says Rajput.
With the Asian Games looming, several juniors will test themselves at the senior level next year. Among them is 16-year-old Jonathan Gavin Antony, who has impressed in domestic and junior internationals. His coach Jitu Rai is confident.
“He is already shooting scores good enough for seniors. With each competition, he is maturing. This is the right time to compete at that level,” says Rai, after Gavin’s air pistol gold here.
Others to shine in Delhi included Junior Asian 50m rifle 3P champion Anushka Thokur, Suhl World Cup gold medallist Shambhavi Kshirsagar (air rifle), junior Asian air pistol champion Rashmika Sahgal, 3P shooter Adriyan Karmakar, multiple junior world medallist Mukesh Nelavalli, and air rifle shooters Himanshu and Ojasvi Thakur. All are chasing the Olympic dream.
Olympian Joydeep Karmakar, whose son Adriyan too is a rifle shooter like him, understands what it will take. “At the senior level, there is no room for mistakes. Learn as much as you can in juniors. Stay calm, stay focused. You have to be ready to make sacrifices if you want to win big international titles,” he says.
One youngster who is calm is talented air rifle shooter Abhinav Shaw. The 17-year-old has competed in the junior internationals for three years and is willing to bide his time. “I have to be more consistent. I will be in juniors for one or two years more, try to win as many medals as possible and make the switch when it is the right time.”
