ISSF Shooting WC: How Chinki Yadav held her nerve to win gold in 25m pistol

For Chinki Yadav, March 24, 2021, will forever be special. Today, not only did she win her first ISSF Shooting World Cup medal – a gold in the women's 25m pistol category - but she also did it in style. It was a hard-earned medal, worth the wait since she graduated to the senior Indian shooting team in 2019. She had to stave off a stiff challenge by senior teammate Rahi Sarnobat in a shoot-off after the duo were tied at 32 hits out of 50 in the final. Yadav held her nerve to prevail 4-3 over Sarnobat to clinch the gold. Manu Bhaker won the bronze medal making it a clean sweep for hosts India in the event on the sixth day of the ongoing ISSF Shooting World Cup in New Delhi.

The 23-year-old from Bhopal is a protégé of India's finest pistol shooter, Jaspal Rana, who has coached her from the junior level at the Madhya Pradesh State Shooting Academy in Bhopal. The proud coach, and state sports minister Yashodara Raje Scindia, watched proudly as received the gold medal.

The manner in which she held her nerve, soaked up the pressure of not just being in the finals and competing with teammates but also the pressure of knowing that today's performance could well decide whether she would be in the squad for Tokyo Olympics, was impressive. Even though Yadav won India its 11th quota place for Tokyo Olympics in the Asian Shooting Championship in Doha in 2019, there was always the "buzz" on whether she or Manu Bhaker would be fielded at the Olympics in the 25m pistol event alongside Sarnobat. As things turned out, Yadav, whose consistent performances had kept her in contention before COVID-19 pandemic struck, ensured her gold medal-winning performance today sealed the deal.

Asked about the pressure, the bespectacled Yadav said she was just happy to win her first medal. "Everyone has match pressure; not me alone. Pressure is not about who you are competing with. What is important is how I have trained and how I give my best."

But she admitted that she was nervous before the start of the event. "I was sweating before the start of the competition but I focused on my breathing to overcome the tension."

The MP government's sports department has also provided Yadav and other shooters the services of sports psychologists, which, she said, has helped her gain more self-confidence.

Yadav literally grew up in the TT stadium in Bhopal. Her father is an electrician with the state government's sports department and has accommodation on the stadium premises. She started shooting in 2012 and has since risen through the junior ranks to the senior level with aplomb. She won the bronze in world junior championships in 2017. She earlier shot 10m air pistol but then switched to 25m pistol from 2013.

Yadav, though, does not have much time to celebrate today’s win as pistol coach Smirnov Pavel reminded her after the medal ceremony. Her next event - mixed team 25m pistol - is on Thursday.