It has been a remarkably reliable spell of performances by skeet shooter Ganemat Sekhon on the global stage so far this season. With the World Championship and the Asian Games coming up, the 22-year-old Ganemat, who had won the silver in the Almaty World Cup, promises “to give my best’’.
Apart from the silver, Ganemat had also won the mixed skeet gold with Olympian Mairaj Ahmad Khan in the World Cup in Cairo. It was her second mixed gold, after the one in 2021.
“My goal this year has been to be consistent with my scores and to be able to peak at the right time. And I constantly work hard on my technique”, said Ganemat.
Consistent she was with the scores. Twice she equalled the national record of 120 out of 125, in the World Cups, including the recent one at the Mecca of shooting, Lonato, Italy.
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Interestingly, she missed the final by one point in Lonato, and so was the case earlier in Doha, when she shot 120 and missed the chance to compete in the semifinals following a shoot-off with four others.
And when she shot 117 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Ganemat was brilliant in the new format, which, in fact, was the older format, of direct final after qualification.
Ganemat lost the gold in the shoot-off after being tied 50-50 with Assem Orynbay of Kazakhstan.
It was her second individual World Cup medal following the bronze at home in Delhi in 2021.
That year was memorable for Ganemat as she won the junior silver in the World Championship in Lima, Peru, apart from the team gold.
“I am confident about my technique and the work that I am putting in with my coach Piero Genga, who has been guiding me from 2018. I am getting better. Skeet is challenging, as the weather conditions play a major role. It comes down to being mentally strong, be it in dealing with the wind or competing against the best in the world”, said Ganemat, with admirable maturity, borne out of years of toil in tuning herself to world standards.
She is grateful to the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) for their support.
“To reach this stage would not have been possible without the support of SAI and NRAI, especially for training. My parents have encouraged me to do what I am so passionate about”, said Ganemat.
With the World Championship offering Olympic quota places, there will be a lot of interest when the action unfolds in Baku, Azerbaijan, on August 8. Ganemat will prepare herself to be at her best in the World Championship, and later in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
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