Shooting star: Delhi lady Naamya, 14, turns into junior world champ

After clinching the gold medal within the 25m pistol occasion on the Junior World Championship in Lima (Peru), 14-year-old Naamya Kapoor referred to as her mother and father Praveen and Gunjan.
It was an apt time for the mom to recall how Naamya took up taking pictures.
“Before she started shooting at the age of nine, Naamya would never take anything seriously. She would easily get bored. When she started shooting, we thought she would leave this too. But after some time, she urged her father to get her a new pistol,” Gunjan informed The Indian Express.
On Monday within the Peruvian capital, the teen made the finals in sixth spot with a rating of 584 as compatriot Manu Bhaker topped the qualification with a rating of 587. Naamya shot a rating of 288 in precision stage adopted by 292 in speedy stage, together with 99 out of 100 within the first collection of the latter. In the ultimate, Naamya solely misplaced the lead as soon as within the elimination stage earlier than coming again within the lead, bouncing again to win the gold medal.
Naamya (centre) after profitable the gold medal (Express pic)
A younger Naamya was launched to the game after seeing her elder sister Khushi pursuing it at Delhi’s Manav Sthali School. It was on the insistence of coach Sabir Khan on the Sports Craft Academy that Naamya would begin competing in 10m pistol in 2016 and the teen would shoot a rating of 373 out of 400 within the Delhi State Shooting Championship inside three years. Khan was impressed by the focus and muscle power of the chubby child. “We initially started dry practice without the pistol in sitting position and once she started shooting with pistol, her scores were impressive for her age. We also worked on making her shoot with focus on sights and not on the target paper,” remembers Khan.
With the minimal age of shooters competing in nationwide championships set at 12 years, it was solely in 2019 that Naamya bought her likelihood to compete in Bhopal. It was additionally the yr when she made a swap to coach below coach Ankit Sharma at Aim Shooting Academy in Faridabad. The teen would end twenty eighth within the senior class of the 25m pistol occasion out of a complete of 151 shooters and twelfth amongst juniors with a rating of 566, lacking the ultimate by a single shot.
Shifting to coach below Sharma would additionally imply that Naamya would journey greater than 40 Kms to Faridabad each day from her residence at Bali Nagar in Delhi, aside from travelling to the Karni Singh Shooting Ranges for practising for the 25m occasion.
Rapid progress
After managing a rating of 566 on the 2019 nationals, she would quickly shoot scores within the vary of 575-585 in follow. “The main difference between 10m air pistol and 25m pistol events is the adjustment to the commands and the rapid duelling format. So, we worked first on getting Naamya adjusted to the timing of three seconds per shot and her lifting technique at a 45-degree angle. To make her adjust to the five successive shots required in the format, a lot of fine-tuning in her training – including trigger movement – was required. But all this happened with consistent focus on the precision stage too,” says Sharma.
An earlier image of Naamya (left) at Delhi State Shooting Meet (Express pic)
The Delhi teen, whose father is a maternal cousin of famend shooter Sanjeev Rajput, and the Olympian has additionally aided Naamya’s growth. She had met Rajput on September 15. He has been holding a watch on Naamya’s taking pictures profession for the reason that begin, and has been liberal with suggestions. “Both Naamya and elder sister Khushi have very good concentration. Initially, I would tell Naamya about various mental conditioning techniques required for match practice and actual matches. I also told her to play some brain simulation video games to develop the right and left- brain movements apart from meditation. Seeing her do well also motivates me but adjusting to the senior level will be the main challenge for her,” says Rajput.
Prior to the Junior World Championships, the Delhi teen shot a rating of 583 to be positioned second behind Bhaker within the trials for the match.
“Naamya was shooting scores close to 290 in precision and close to 292-293 in rapid stage in practice and she recovered well after a score of 288 in precision. Her biggest strength has been shooting without any fear and that’s what worked for her in the final, which included much experienced shooters like Manu Bhaker,” says Sharma.
Mother Gunjan is aware of how India’s youngest junior world champion in taking pictures unwinds herself after the finals, holding away from the game for a while. Irrespective of outcomes, she at all times retains a stage head and by no means loses perspective. “Whatever happens in shooting, she never complains or becomes emotional,” she says.