EXCLUSIVE: Coach Thomas Farnik on nurturing Indian rifle shooters towards Olympic excellence post-Hangzhou triumph

Farnik talks about the growth of Indian shooting in his tenure and the upcoming goals that the team will be looking forward to now.

EXCLUSIVE: Coach Thomas Farnik on nurturing Indian rifle shooters towards Olympic excellence post-Hangzhou triumph

L-Thomas Farnik (Via S. Kannan); R- Ashi Chouksey, Manini Kaushik, and Sift Kaur Samra after winning the silver medal in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3P Team event. (Via @ddsportschannel/X)

Rifle coach Thomas Farnik likes to work quietly behind the scenes. At a time when Indian shooting is seeing signs of a revival, Farnik is doing his work quietly without attempting to hog the limelight.

In a chat with FirstSportz, Farnik spoke on the Indian rifle shooting scene now at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.

FS: Are you happy with the results in air rifle and 3P so far?
Farnik: A coach can never be satisfied. I have to keep working, keep pushing the boys and girls. One cannot relax and think results and medals will come.

FS: How has your experience been in India so far?
Farnik: So far, so good, that’s all I will say. We are working as a team and the shooters are learning to handle the pressure well. I think yoga is of great help in mind training and staying calm, this is my personal observation. This is the reason shooters are able to deal with tough shooters from China and South Korea as well and not be bothered.

Related:Indian dressage team scripts history, clinches first gold medal in Equestrian in 41 years

FS: Your thoughts on Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey today vis-à-vis their medals won?
Farnik: I am happy to see team medals and individual medals India is winning in rifle shooting. When I came to India, I had a fair idea about what the system is. In my career shooting days, I have seen Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang. I knew coming to India would be a challenge, but the work has been rewarding.

Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey Asian Games
Sift Kaur Samra and Ashi Chouksey (Via Open Source/X)

FS: In Hangzhou, fans have seen rifle shooters like Ramita Jindal also do well. Can Indian shooters keep improving?
Farnik: The important thing is belief and working hard. India has already won five quota slots for the Paris Olympics. We can go for three more. The Indians will be competing in the Asian Championship next month. There will be a few changes as a few different shooters will be coming in. Hopefully, India can clinch the maximum of eight quota slots in rifle for the Paris Olympics.

FS: What is your assessment of the Indian shooting system?
Farnik: I am concerned about my daily job and the team I work with. To be fair, I am here in India on a contract with the Sports Authority of India in a high-performance role. My run here in the last one year plus has been fruitful, minus glitches. There is depth and talent in India. We have seen that in many competitions.

FS: Are Indians better in air or the more technical 3P event?
Farnik: It really does not matter whether it is air rifle or three position. One has to just focus on the event a shooter has chosen and carry on. That’s the way our sport is, lonely but enjoyable.

In case you missed it: