Jitu sir has added to the positive environment; just want to focus on my process: Rhythm Sangwan

Young pistol exponent Rhythm Sangwan says the addition of her “idol” Jitu Rai in Indian shooting’s coaching setup has been a huge positive for her as she tries to focus on her process amid intense competition from equally talented compatriots heading into a busy season.

In 2026, Indian shooters have a packed international calendar, featuring major continental championships on home soil, the Asian Games, and several ISSF World Cup legs. Key highlights include the Asian Championship in New Delhi and the Asian Games in Japan.

First up is the Asian Championship in Delhi.

“My approach is to take it one step at a time. So, currently I’m just focusing on the Asian championship. We’ll see it as we move forward. I just want to focus on my process,” Rhythm said during an interaction on Thursday.

“I believe that if we stick to it, we can achieve the results. As they say, ‘focus on the process, and the results will follow.” The Asian Rifle and Pistol Championship will take place at the Dr Karni Singh Range in New Delhi from February 2 to 14, with 17 countries sending more than 300 shooters.

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Rhythm is just 22, but she has already made an impression with medals at Asian Championships and World Cups, besides participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Coming from Delhi, the shooter is expecting a lot of family presence in the upcoming event in her city, but she is equipped to handle the pressure that comes with it.

“It’s going to be lovely. I think I’m expecting full support because my family and everyone will be here. So yeah, the more the merrier I would say. So looking forward to it actually.

“Every international event or any national event or any competition that we play, for me personally, is very important and essential because it is a way for me to learn a lot about how I respond to the matches, to the competition, and yes, I just learn from every game, every day,” she said.

As part of a major overhaul, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) last year made key appointments to its national shooting coaching staff, appointing four-time Asian Games gold medallist Jaspal Rana as the high-performance coach for the 25m pistol team and Olympian Jitu Rai as the 10m air pistol coach.

These appointments have added to the positive environment, Rhythm said.

“Jitu sir has always been my idol. I’ve always liked him so much. So when I first came to the shooting range, the first international match I saw was here in New Delhi only, and Jitu sir was performing. I was quite inspired by him.

“I think it has added to that positive environment, and Jaspal sir himself has been such a great shooter, so I think that will motivate all the shooters out here,” she said.

At her Olympic debut, Rhythm competed in two events, finishing 15th in the women’s 10m air pistol and 10th in the mixed team event with Arjun Cheema.

Though she did not qualify for the finals in Paris, it was nonetheless an invaluable experience for her, helping her to get better at tackling challenging situations.

“There are pros and cons both (while playing at home) because you have those expectations from your crowd, from your people that okay, the Indian athletes are going to go and do good, and I believe that is going to be a challenge.

“But two years back, I competed in the World Cup Finals here only, and that was also a good match.

“Also, I competed in the ISSF World Cup in China (last year), and I think I really enjoyed that match, and that venue has become a new favourite. So I think I have a lot to take from the year 2025, and I think it went really well,” said Rhythm.

Among her major early achievements, she won a gold medal in the 10m air pistol mixed team event in the ISSF World Cup in Cairo in 2024 and broke a 29-year-old world record in the qualification round of the women’s 25m pistol event by scoring 595 points in the World Cup in Baku in 2023.

Last February, she won the women’s 25m sports pistol event, beating double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker in a shoot-off during the national trials.

Published on Jan 29, 2026