Navy officer Anuradha to make debut in World Cup

Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, February 22

The 10m range was all but empty by the time Anuradha — or rather lieutenant Anuradha, a logistical officer in the Indian Navy — was finishing her optional practice session. Once she was done with her ‘struggles’ of finding the inner tenths of the 5mm target, India’s foreign coach Pavel Smirnov spent a few minutes with her. This was ostensibly a pep talk to ease her nerves before her international debut in India colours. 

India’s challenge on the inaugural day of the ISSF World Cup will be led by Anjum Moudgil, Apurvi Chandela and Elavenil Valaraivan in the 10m air rifle event on Saturday. Mehuli Ghosh will shoot in the Minimum Qualification Score. Incredibly, six months ago Anuradha was not even remotely associated with shooting. “It’s good actually (the drastic rise), but I never aimed for this, to be honest. Till now I have only played in three competitions — Nationals and the two trials. The World Cup will be my fourth competition,” said the 29-year-old debutant, who originally hails from Sonepat. “The Navy trainers first see the calibre of the shooter and then they chose them. My coach asked me to choose between rifle and pistol. I saw the rifle and it wasn’t anything like the INSAS so I told him ‘I am OK with anything’. So he handed me the pistol,” she recalled her first steps in the world of sports shooting.