Gun For Glory trainees refine shooting skills under guidance of Peter Sidi and Gagan Narang

The trainees are back to business at the Gun For Glory (GFG) shooting range on the Central University campus, run by Olympics medallist Gagan Narang, under the mentorship of former World champion Peter Sidi.

“This camp presents a valuable opportunity for aspiring marksmen to refine their skills under the expert guidance of high-performance rifle foreign coaches and GFG coaches,” Gagan informed ‘Sportstar’.

According to Gagan, the primary objective of the fifth Project Leap’s seventh rifle camp under the five-time Olympian Peter Sidi is to facilitate the development of athletes to achieve their individual goals.

“To accomplish this, the camp focuses on personalised programs tailored to the specific needs of each participant,” he explained.

“These programs include individual technical training sessions, mind training sessions, nutrition sessions, and strength and conditioning sessions, all designed to enhance the skills and capabilities of each athlete individually,” Gagan said.

“The rifle squad of 15 dedicated athletes, five of whom have now proudly represented India on the global stage and clinched prestigious medals, we find M. Uma Mahesh from Andhra Pradesh, Vedant Waghmare from Maharashtra, Melvina Angeline from Tamil Nadu, and Naraen Pranav from Karnataka, along with Swati Chowdhury from West Bengal, each contributing significantly with their international experience and remarkable achievements in competitions such as the ISSF World Cup, Asian Shooting Championships, and Junior World Championships, thereby adorning the camp with their exceptional skills and patriotic triumphs,” the Olympian explained.

The primary objective of the fifth Project Leap’s seventh rifle camp under the five-time Olympian Peter Sidi.
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“The presence of these experienced coaches ensures that participants receive consistent support and guidance throughout the camp, maximising their learning and growth opportunities. Their diverse backgrounds and proven track records highlight the camp’s commitment to excellence in sports training and development,” Gagan said.

“This project provides support in the shooting Olympic events 10m air rifle, 10m air pistol, 25m pistol and 50m rifle, for the selected athletes on various parameters of the sport, such as technical, physiological and mental parameters,” he said.

“The objective is to improve the performance of selected athletes. The program will specifically deal with the details of the various performance attributes,” Gagan said.

“The goal of holding project leap camps in various places and especially Hyderabad and Telangana is to bring the best talent from across the world and India to give exposure and knowledge to local shooters under Peter Sidi,” he said.

“Doubt-clearing sessions and discussions and knowledge-sharing sessions are conducted for anyone on the range to help improve their performance. It is a multi-pronged training methodology which gives 360-degree support to an athlete in his shooting pathway consisting of sports science, nutrition, strength and conditioning,” Gagan said.

“Importantly, sharing of technical know-how with foreign coaches by our head coaches besides competition support and strategic planning for the competition are the key features of this programme supported by Olympic Gold Quest,” he concluded.