"I was not very happy about the fact that I was selected" - Arjun Babuta on how it took a few days to register his selection for Paris 2024 Olympics
The Indian shooting contingent for the Paris 2024 Olympics was announced this week. Among them is Arjun Babuta, who will be debuting at the Summer Games. The 25-year-old Chandigarh-born shooter will take part in the 10m air rifle discipline and is highly optimistic of a medal at the Olympics.
Sportskeeda had the opportunity to interact with Babuta in an exclusive session, where he shared some interesting and exciting insights. The excerpts are below:
Q. How were you feeling when your name was announced for the Paris 2024 Olympics?
A. I was not very happy about the fact that I was selected. Rather I was too drowned in thinking about my weapon and was too busy repairing it. I didn’t even enjoy my victory because the next day I had my finals and I wanted to do well.
After a day or two, I realized that I got selected. This is what I have been working hard for so many years. And then I really enjoyed it.
Q. India has one of the biggest shooting contingents. Is there any pressure to deliver medals?
A. I would say pressure and that excitement is always there. But yes, this is a little bit different and we are preparing for it.
Q. Since this is your first Olympics, how excited are you to perform at the biggest stage?
I am very excited. I am enjoying the process and the journey. I’m really excited to showcase my talent on such a platform.
Q. Are there any technical or mental strength corrections you're looking to make ahead of the Summer Games?
There’s nothing to correct as such. But we are definitely working on improving it daily. Like this 1% improvement mindset that I am focusing on right now. We are working on the psychological, technical and physical fitness part.
The main objective is to get that medal and we are working towards it. Everything is being taken care of. Now the main thing is mindset and the psychological part and we are working on it continuously. On an individual level, I am doing my visualizations and self-talk and preparing for my match.