'I've mentally prepared myself…' - Shooter Arjun Singh Cheema ahead of maiden Olympics

Arjun Singh Cheema narrowly missed out on medal round at Munich World Cup by a single point.

Arjun Singh Cheema is set to make his Olympics debut at Paris Olympics 2024, after missing out on Tokyo 2020. The 23-year-old shooter from Punjab excelled in the four-phase national selection trials and finished second to make the cut into the Paris-bound Indian team along with Sarabjot Singh.

The pair is set to represent the tricolour in 10m air pistol shooting event at Paris Olympics 2024. Cheema has been strengthening his mindset, “I am just considering it as a regular event. This is my first Olympics but I’m not looking at it from that perspective. I have mentally prepared myself for the matches.

“I feel there is no pressure on us. Shooting is a mental game, and the result is really important. But, along with that, what is needed is mental stability; the psychology of the athlete matters a lot so that better results can be achieved,” said Cheema in an interaction facilitated by Sports Authority of India (SAI), the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).

“We are working on the drawbacks and focusing on being precise about the technical aspects of the game. The Olympic trials and the Munich World Cup we had, I’ve been discussing with the coaches and the team, the elements and aspects to work upon,” said the Asian Games team gold medallist and a double Asian championships silver medallist in 2024.

Also Read: ‘Thankful to all the experiences that didn’t work in my favour’- Anjum Moudgil ahead of Paris Olympics

The four-phase national selection trials have proven to be constructive for him ahead of Paris Olympics 2024. “Sticking to the process made me improve my confidence which is definitely going to help in the Games.”

Cheema, who is currently training in Austria also expressed the importance of training abroad, to form a robust schedule maintaining the proper training and sleep cycle.

The team is currently having a modified training which includes of early morning yoga and meditation followed by several series of shooting and later evenings are focused for physical workouts and recovery.

Cheema was elated to virtually meet Abhinav Bindra alongside the whole Paris bound squad. “He shared his experiences, and motivated us to do well. It was an overwhelming experience”.

Arjun Singh Cheema has been supported by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports through the Annual Calendar for Training and Competition (ACTC) for a total amount of Rs 34.25 Lakh (national camps+foreign expenditure) during the Paris Olympics 2024 cycle.

He has also been supported for a total amount of Rs 8.95 Lakh through Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for the Paris Olympics cycle. The entire shooting team has been sanctioned Rs 9.48 Crore through TOPS for the same cycle.

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