Paris Olympics: Sift Kaur Samra banks on mental clarity ahead of 2024 Games

While many athletes shut themselves from distractions prior to the Olympics, Sift maintains a normal routine. She doesn’t mind becoming a guest on a comedy show, the Great Indian Kapil Show, on Netflix.

FILE PHOTO: The 22-year-old World No.18 takes pressure positively.  | Photo Credit: A.M.FARUQU/The Hindu

Sift Kaur Samra banks on her clarity of thought. The Punjab shooter does not feel the pressure while approaching Paris 2024, where she will compete in women’s 50m rifle 3 positions, as she treats it as just another competition.

Whereas many athletes shut themselves from distractions prior to the Olympics, Sift maintains a normal routine. She doesn’t mind becoming a guest on a comedy show, the Great Indian Kapil Show, on Netflix.

“I think your mind is the strongest thing. The more you keep it clear, the more important it is for you. For me, to keep things clear is one thing. And second is to be happy. We are doing everything for happiness. For me, happiness is the one thing that keeps me out of a lot of things,” Sift told Sportstar from her training base in Luxembourg.

Apart from her skills, Sift relies on her mind and her psychologist.

“My mind works a lot because I observe people. I keep thinking why they are taking so much tension. I have just started talking to a psychologist, Akshata. She is with the team. My mind matches with her a lot. She listens to me, that’s why I love her. If I want to talk about anything, I go to her. She keeps me away from everything.”

The 22-year-old World No.18 takes pressure positively. “It’s just that you go and compete as you compete in other tournaments. Nothing special, nothing different, nothing new. I participated in the Munich World Cup (in June and got a bronze medal) to learn about the athletes who will be competing in the Olympics. Preparation is good. The result of the exam will tell you how it was.”

Sift – who won the Asian Games individual gold with a World Record of 469.6 – may not meet her idol, double Olympic medallist shuttler P.V. Sindhu, during the Olympics as the shooting venue, Chateauroux, is 270km from Paris, but hopes the legend will achieve a new feat.

“At the Asian Games, the thing she said after (my) World Record was really good. Hopefully, this year also, she will get a medal,” said Sift.