Haren
At the Olympic selection trials for shooting in New Delhi last year, Rudrankksh Patil cut a sorry figure. The reigning 10m air rifle world champion was on his way to failing to book his ticket to Paris and his body language betrayed a huge burden. His demeanor was rigid and downbeat.
As he arrived for the pre-event training for the National Games in Dehradun on Wednesday, he was anything but. Bouncing into the room with the playful ease of a young man as accomplished as him, he looked lighter both mentally and physically. It was the result of a six-month long exercise in recovering from the heartbreak – a “life-changing experience,” as he describes it.
“My biggest learning is to not take myself too seriously,” the 21-year-old marksman says.
As the world champion, expectations had been heavy on Rudrankksh to not only make it to Paris, but harbour medal hopes among India’s extremely competitive shooting contingent.
However, at the selection trials he was pipped by Arjun Babuta and Sandeep Singh quite surprisingly. Two years of expectation had been withered over the four-week trial, and Rudrankksh was left to make an appraisal of what went wrong.
In a sport that requires total stillness of body and mind, Rudrankksh has always thrived in inner turmoil. It happens to be a by-product of his personality, he says, that he performs best when the panic sets in.
“I feel I have always shot my best when I’m scared,” he says with a knowing laugh.
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But being overly anxious led to excessive fatigue, and caused him more problems than just bad results at the range.
Shortly before the trials, he had noticed some physical distress. “I was losing my hair, my skin was going dull, I had psoriasis in my ankle. But I thought I’d leave it and focus on my game,” he says.
Eventually the illness was diagnosed as an auto-immune disease caused by stress. After the Olympic miss, this was another reminder to the 21-year-old to control the nerves. He’s now searching for the equilibrium between panic and composure that will allow him to peak under pressure.
But mental serenity is not the only change he is seeking. Rudrankksh has entered the men’s 50m 3-position event at the National Games too, just as he had done at the national championships a few months ago. Another rifle event is likely to improve medal chances in the future, but participation in the more physically enduring event requires greater commitment to fitness.
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He has also changed his rifle, and says he plans to trial a technical change at the Games, although he’s coy on what it is exactly, keeping his cards close to his chest for now.
And if it is the right balance between peace and competitiveness he is seeking, the National Games make for a good platform. There is an excitement and newness of interacting with athletes from all kinds of disciplines, while also playing on a newly-made top-class range against the best shooting talent in the country. Both Babuta and Sandeep are his competition in the 10m air rifle category, while in 50 3P, Olympic bronze medallist Swapnil Kusale is representing Maharashtra alongside him and fellow Olympian Aishwary Singh Tomar is also in the fray.
“It really does feel like a mini-Olympics,” he says. “It is like an international tournament. Come here, play your match and go back. It’s not like a domestic trial where the pressure for a spot and repetitive shooting can play on your mind. Atmosphere is great here.”
“Playing this National Games is part of a plan to play more domestic competitions and I want to increase my scores. This is the best time to do it,” the 21-year-old, on the comeback trail, asserts.
