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Heena Sidhu credits father for introducing her to shooting, says mind is most important in the sport

Being able to hold one's nerve is very vital for shooting, she said.

By , ET Bureau |
BCCL
Shooter Heena Sidhu unlike other sport stars who have a particular ritual a day before a match, does not have one.
Pistol shooter shares what goes through her mind a day before she has a shooting final and how she decided to pursue this sport.

Shooter Heena Sidhu unlike other sport stars who have a particular ritual a day before a match, does not have one. She credits the nature of her sport for that. At an event, the 30-year-old said, "One day before a match is always the most difficult. You know that tomorrow is an important day where you may win or you may lose.

Like other sports where you go from qualifications to quarterfinals to semifinals, shooting is not like that. For us on the first day only the decision is made, you go to the finals."


The driving force for the former World No. 1 Indian pistol shooter to take up the sport was her father. "We lived in a joint family and my father had a gun business. When I started shooting, it was more of a hobby for me. I kept playing and winning as I went along. From there I was interested in guns. For me sports was about running so I never looked at shooting as a sport," she said.

The mind is most important in a sport like shooting. Being able to hold one's nerve is very vital. "What looks effortless is actually a lot going through our minds, in our brains and in our hearts. You can hear the heart in the ear. It happens to everyone, and everyone is at the same level. There is no point fighting it. The faster you embrace it, the better it is. You have to accept that it is happening," Sidhu said.

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