Mumbai: It has been a fortnight since the 20th Asian Games came to an end and the Indian sports ministry has since been trying to make sense of the hits and misses from the contingent that competed in Aichi-Nagoya.
And once again there is a lot of hope from the Indian squad that has made its way to Aichi-Nagoya. The contingent’s size, compared to the previous edition in Hangzhou, has decreased, however. “(I have also) added scenario drills (to the training), like simulated crowd noise and sudden-death shoot-offs. But (going as the reigning gold-medallist) is an honour, not a burden. I’ve been focusing strictly on my execution, not thinking of defending the title. And then there is badminton star Pramod Bhagat .
India had sent 309 athletes to compete in 17 different sports. The number of events on the Aichi-Nagoya roster has also reduced, causing India to send a 168-strong squad to compete across nine different sports. The 19-year-old from Kashmir, who had also won silver in the women’s doubles event at the previous Asiad, partnering Sarita Devi, had added a lot of simulation training to her preparation before heading to Japan. The 38-year-old is a Paralympic champion, a nine-time World Championship gold-medallist (six times in singles and three in doubles) and is the two-time reigning Asian Para Games champion, having won the singles crown in 2018 and then defending it in Hangzhou.
“There has been rigorous daily shooting and endurance work,” she said to HT. The dissection continues, but the dust has not quite settled in Japan, as the Asian Para Games officially begin on Sunday.
