New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) India’s foreign trap shooting coach and Olympic gold medallist Peter Wilson has said it is a “great shame” that World Championship bronze medallist Zorawar Singh has not been included in India’s squad for the Asian Games in Japan.
Wilson said any team would want a shooter of Zorawar’s calibre, but stressed that selection decisions are not within his purview.
Zorawar won a historic bronze medal at last year’s World Championships in Athens, becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the men’s trap event since Manavjit Singh Sandhu clinched the gold at the 2006 World Championships in Zagreb.
Despite that landmark achievement after nearly two decades, Zorawar has been left out of India’s Asian Games squad and is currently competing as a “zero shooter” in World Cup events, which do not count towards selection.
“That is true, and it is a great shame. I think anyone would want him in that team (for the Asian Games) — Zorawar in the team. But that is not in my gift to pick and choose the squad,” Wilson told PTI from England ahead of his departure for Lonato, Italy, where he will join the Indian trap shooting team for the ISSF Shotgun World Cup starting Sunday.
His omission is largely attributed to the National Rifle Association of India’s (NRAI) selection policy, which places greater emphasis on domestic trial performances than international results.
The Lonato event will also serve as preparation for the Asian Games later this year, adding considerable pressure on the shotgun shooters to deliver after their disappointing performances in the previous two World Cups.
Wilson said while European countries generally leave team selection to the head coach, he was surprised that federations make those decisions in this part of the world.
“I know in certain countries in Europe, for example Italy, it is the head coach or the foreign coach’s prerogative to pick the team, but that is not the case in India. So we have to follow a selection process, whether I like it or not, and we support the athletes who have qualified. So I haven’t spoken to them (NRAI) explicitly about his exclusion,” he said.
India has endured two underwhelming ISSF Shotgun World Cup outings this season, failing to win a single individual medal and increasing the pressure on the squad heading into Lonato for its final pre-Asian Games test.
On the Indian shotgun team’s poor performances, particularly the trap squad at the World Cups in Tangier, Morocco, in March and Almaty, Kazakhstan, in May, Wilson said: “So, to break it down, we had the first World Cup in Morocco, which was very, very difficult.
“We had a lot of problems in the build-up to that World Cup, logistical problems, and that really did make that World Cup very, very tricky for us.” Wilson won the double trap gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and later guided Nathan Hales to the men’s trap gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics before being appointed India’s foreign trap coach.
Despite the disappointing results, Wilson said he remained “absolutely confident” about the Indian trap team, even as the country’s rifle and pistol shooters have consistently excelled in World Cups while the shotgun contingent has produced only meagre returns.
“Yes, I absolutely believe they (trap shooters) are (good), otherwise I wouldn’t be here. And the other question is, how do we build a system? How does the NRAI build a system that allows us, as India, to grow and funnel more people into shotgun? “Because at the moment, they’re doing it with rifle and pistol. And I don’t think this is the NRAI’s fault, by the way. It’s legislation. It’s going to require a change in legislation from the top down,” he said, though he did not elaborate on the legislation aspect.
He felt the NRAI needs to work with the government to improve access to shotgun shooting.
“At the moment, they can access air pistols and air rifles. But it’s not easy with shotgun unless you have the money to pursue it privately. So it needs to change from the very top, from the government… and people need a stepping stone that will allow them into the Olympic disciplines,” he said.
Asked what he expected from the team at the Asian Games after two disappointing World Cups and a below-par Junior World Championships campaign, Wilson said: “So we’ve got the World Cup in Lonato and then the one in China, and of course the Asian Games in Japan.
“I’m hoping for some real success at the Asian Games. I’m hoping for success in both Lonato and China (World Cup). But of course, I’m realistic. You can’t expect magic success out of nowhere. We’re on a journey, but I’m hungry for success. And there’s good progress being made at the moment.
“So, again, to answer the question about the Asian Games, I’m not going to pin individuals down with medal expectations, but the way everyone is training, the way everyone is building up and performing, I’m very hopeful of success in the Olympic trap.” PTI AM AM UNG
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