Focus, concentration and not looking at the scoreboard, the keys to success for Divyansh Panwar
The teenage shooter himself had admitted on a couple of occasions that he should stop looking at the scoreboard to improve his scores
In his first senior ISSF World Cup, Divyansh Panwar had a forgettable outing as he finished 12th and did not even qualify for the finals.
In the next edition in Beijing, China, he bounced back strongly and finished with a silver. But he knew that he had not won the silver but lost the gold to Hui Zicheng of China who shot 249.4. The Indian had scored 249.0. A minuscule difference of 0.4 point has cost him a gold medal.
"Once I see the inner 10s, my brain goes straight to the score I need to have... (But) I have to stop looking at the scoreboard so much, it will be good for me,” he had said after the event.
Cut to February 2021, New Delhi. The NRAI (National Rifle Association of India) had organised the selection trials and Panwar had a horrific start in the T3 trials. He came 10th in the qualifiers and could not progress to the finals of a national trial. An Olympic-bound shooter failing to advance to the finals of a national trial is a big cause of concern. It was necessary to do some soul searching. And after a lot of deliberation, he figured out what was wrong.
"I became score-oriented. I was looking at the scoreboard frequently and for no reason. The targets became secondary. But honestly, I had made up my mind that I will not do that. But still, I did," he analysed.
Panwar worked on this shortcoming and in the T4 trials he created a world record finishing with a score of 253.1, breaking the then-existing record of Yu Haonan who managed to get 252.8 during the shooting World Cup in Rio in 2019.
The world no.2 has shown time and again that he has all that it takes to succeed at the highest level. He has got the technique and the skill to be a world-beater on any given day, only if he sets his sight on the target and not on the scoreboard.
"First I took to the sport just to enjoy myself. I never looked at the scoreboard. When I focussed and put in the effort consciously, the results were good. But I was not able to motivate myself to do that repeatedly and succeed at the biggest stages. Now I have sessions with my psychologist. It is important to control your mind and concentrate. Things have changed and are much better now," Panwar told Olympics.com.
The pandemic has had a grave impact on his preparations. Although he, along with his coach Deepak Kumar Dubey, turned an apartment into a makeshift 10m rifle shooting range, a lack of competition was troubling the shooter. He knows that to get good scores in domestic competition and to perform in a World Cup are two completely different ball games.
"The mind's status is different in the World Cup from trials and training though we have some great shooters in our country. One shot can really affect my rhythm."
However, a bronze medal in the New Delhi World Cup, in March earlier this year showed that he has got his bearings in place. All he needs is some fine-tuning. And the Croatia trip was handed him the perfect opportunity to do so. He participated in the European Championship where he put up a decent performance in the MQS section.
"I have visualised myself standing in the lane, playing a match, winning in the finals and everything. It keeps on playing in my head. If you are dreaming about the Olympics then you have to sacrifice. Abhi Zinda hoon Olympics ke liye. (Right now, I am living for the Olympics)."
There's little doubt that he has the resolve, the technique, and the skill to succeed at the Olympics. All he needs to do is focus, concentrate and definitely not look at the scoreboard. The rest should fall in place.
When does Divyansh Singh Panwar's Tokyo 2020 campaign start?
Divyansh Singh Panwar will be in action on Sunday morning in the 10m air rifle event.