India Takes Aim at Global Shooting Dominance

The Indian shooting sport is now considered one of the deepest in terms of talent pool, according to Olympic legend Abhinav Bindra. The country's remarkable performance at the Paris Olympics, where shooters secured their best-ever haul of three medals, including two bronze and one from Manu Bhaker, has rekindled hopes for sustained success on the world stage.

"The depth of talent available in the sport of shooting doesn't exist in any other sport in this country," Bindra said in an exclusive interview. "I think there are so many sporting athletes performing at the national level and at the world level. This clearly shows the amount of progress the sport has made over the last decade or so."

The 12-year Olympic drought was finally broken at Paris, with Manu Bhaker leading the charge to two bronze medals, followed by Sarabjot Singh and Swapnil Kusale. Bindra credited the team's achievements to lessons learned from past Games, highlighting the importance of strategic planning, attention to detail, and continuous evolution.

"Little things matter a lot, they need to be taken care of," he emphasized. "I hope that the ecosystem continues to evolve and keeps putting its best foot forward."

Bindra dismissed concerns over the shooting CWG absence as not permanent. The 2026 Commonwealth Games has dropped shooting from its roster, but the shooting legend hopes that the sport will make a comeback in the future.

"The whole Commonwealth movement is going through a difficult time... But I don't think this is an era of boycott," he said. "The talent in the sport of shooting is immense and I have no doubts that we will continue to perform better and keep improving our medal count at the Olympics."

Manu Bhaker, who won two bronze medals, has emerged as a bright prospect with her incredible Paris performance. Bindra hailed her resilience after a difficult debut Olympics in Tokyo, describing her character as "tremendous" and highlighting her chances of securing multiple Olympic medals.

With their sights set on future success, Indian shooters are reinvigorated to continue pushing the boundaries of excellence in the sport.