"Wanted to turn my silver to gold": Anjum Moudgil on exclusion of Shooting from CWG 2022

Shooting has been a happy hunting ground for Indian athletes in past at Commonwealth Games. When it was announced that Shooting won't be a part of the Commonwealth Games 2022, it was a heartbreak for fans and shooters alike.

India has won a total of 135 medals in shooting at Commonwealth Games with 63 gold, 44 silver and 28 bronze. Shooting makes up for the 1/4th of the 503 medals India has won in CWG history.

Commonwealth Shooting has produced champions for India and it acts like a stepping stone for the upcoming challenges.

The Bridge caught up with World Number 1 in 50m Rifle 3 position and previous Commonwealth Medalist Anjum Moudgil about the exclusion of shooting.

Here is the excerpt from the conversation-

As a shooter, How do you feel that Shooting is not the part of Commonwealth Games?

It is a disappointment for all of us shooters that it is not the part of Commonwealth Games anymore. It is disheartening to see the sport in which we excelled so much is not there. I wanted to convert the silver medal I won in Gold Coast into Gold but eventually shooting is not there.

With the exclusion of shooting from CWG, did it affect any plans?

It was announced beforehand. So it didn't hamper our plans but yes, it was something which would have been good for all of us. It is something which is not in our control, so as a sportsperson we accept it and move on.

We focussed on World Cup and performed well there.

How are you feeling after winning at World Cup and achieving World Rank 1 in Air Rifle?

I am really happy with how things are moving for me in the buildup of Paris 2024. In 2018 also, I achieved the world ranking 2 in Korea and now again in Korea I became world number 1.

It feels really good to get back to form, start winning and the culmination of my efforts. It is like a fresh beginning for me and the road ahead consists of Asian Games, Paris 2024. I took my time to come out of the negativity which came after Tokyo Olympics and it is working well.

Talking about Tokyo, What exactly happened there?

There is not one thing which can be singled out. There was too much talking before the shooting team as all of us were in good form and performing well.

I think there were a few things which didn't go well for us as a team. It was a learning experience for us and we will bounce back from it.

As a team how do you cope with something like Tokyo's performance?

As seniors who were present there, it was our responsibility to be with them there and help them understand what we were going through as a team. These young kids are so confident and there is so much to learn from there and it was important to talk to them as seniors.

When I was a junior, I couldn't find the right person to talk to. So it was important to be there, and make sure everyone is okay. Eventually, all of us got out of it and are performing well now.