15-day practice is enough for CWG, says Tejaswini

15-day practice is enough for CWG, says Tejaswini

NEW DELHI, Aug 9: Asserting that delay in completion of the CWG venues would not rob country’s athletes of home advantage, India’s first World Champion woman shooter Tejaswini Sawant on Monday said just 15-day vigorous practice is enough to prepare for the Commonwealth Games.

Sawant said lack of knowledge of the Munich venue, where she won gold on Sunday, hardly affected her chances.

“One month is enough to get trained for the Commonwealth Games. Even 10-15 days of rigorous training would be enough for us,” said Tejaswini, who was in the capital along with another shooter Gagan Narang to meet Sports Minister MS Gill.

“We will not lose the home advantage. It’s not that I had always practiced in Munich before clinching gold there. I was unaware of the conditions there. I straight went into the championship. What helped me there was my determination, clear aim and positive mindset.

“Same is here in India. You need all these three traits to win medals. You can’t pass on the buck by saying venues are incomplete. It makes a very small difference,” the rifle shooter said.

Some former athletes and administrators feel that India’s medal prospects will be hit badly as many of the venues have not been made available to athletes to get acclimatised.

Tejaswini though is confident that Indian shooters will do well at October 3-14 Games here.

“It’s very important to consider what conditions are you practicing. Practice, positive mindset, concentration are the most important assets of a player. We will produce our best in the Games,” she said.

Tejaswini shot a score of 597 (100, 100, 100, 99, 99, 99), equalling the 1998 record set by Marina Bobkova of Russia.

“I was not thinking about a medal or a world record. Having got both, it’s just amazing. It’s a dream come true. My coaches, including Kazakh coach Stanislav Lapidus, made some plans for me and I am glad that everything worked accordingly,” the shooter from Kolhapur said.

Tejaswini dedicated her victory to her late father. She recalled how at one point financial constrains forced her to consider giving up shooting, but the strong support of her family, especially her father, kept her going.

“I dedicate this medal to my father. I proved him right. I fulfilled his dreams,” she said.

Tejaswini’s father passed away on February 23 when she was competing at the Commonwealth Championships here. (PTI)