Srinjoy Datta, who is set to become the second male shooter from West Bengal to ever participate in a senior ISSF World Cup when he takes the lane in Cairo in February, was on Monday felicitated at the Calcutta Sports Journalists Club.
The event, organised by the Joydeep Karmakar Shooting Academy (JKSA), also had distinguished guests in former cricketer Sambaran Banerjee, 2018 world billiards champion Sourav Kothari and shooting coach Kuheli Ganguly in attendance.
Datta is a part of an India squad, which was picked taking into consideration the qualification scores and final ranking points of December 2021's National Championship in Bhopal as the selection trials could not be held in January 2022 owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Divyansh Singh Panwar and Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil are the other shooters who will participate in the 10m air rifle category.
"I am not thinking much about the results. For now, my only focus is the World Cup ahead. I will continue to train diligently," Datta, who practises at the Serampore Rifle Club, said.
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Mentor and Olympian Karmakar, although happy, feels Datta's feat is only a stepping stone. He said, "Not just a gold medal at the World Cup, his aim should be higher. This is just the start of his journey. We wish him all the best."
Banerjee also had a few words of wisdom for the 18-year-old. "Focus and mindset are the two most important things. Practice, practice and more practice. There shouldn't be any compromise there. You should also keep learning from your mistakes," he said.
The Indian team will assemble for a camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi on February 9, before departing for the Egyptian capital on February 25.
The tournament, which sees Tokyo 2020 athletes Manu Bhaker, Apurvi Chandela, Anjum Moudgil, Abhishek Verma, Deepak Kumar and Yashaswini Deshwal miss out, is scheduled to be held from February 26 to March 8. It is being organised in the same venue, which will award Paris 2024 quotas during the World Championships, come October.
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