Indian shooting coach Suma Shirur on Manu Bhaker, Avani Lekhara, and the need to create a thriving ecosystem for sports

It took 20 years for another Indian woman to enter the final of the shooting event at the Olympics after Suma Shirur at the Summer Olympics in Athens in 2004. 

At this year’s Paris Olympics, Manu Bhaker won two bronze medals in the 10m and 25m pistol shooting events.

During the ongoing Paralympics, shooter Avani Lekhara defended her women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 title in Paris, becoming the first Indian woman to win two golds at the Paralympics. 

Shirur, the head coach of the Indian shooting team at the Paris Olympics and Lekhara’s personal coach, couldn't have been more proud. 

After Lekhara’s win, Shirur said, “Many congratulations to all of us! Back-to-back golds in consecutive Paralympics for India’s Golden Girl, Avani Lekhara. Respect for her incredible achievement. What a team-champion Avani and Lakshya Shooting Club!”

Shirur co-founded Lakshya Shooting Club in Navi Mumbai in 2006, and has been associated with it first as a shooter and then as a coach.

She reveals it has been a challenging time for Lekhara after a surgery in March. 

“Her recovery took longer than expected and almost took away two months of important training time. But she definitely got back after that. She is a perfectionist and really drives the team to get to that ‘perfect’ level,” says Shirur.

A system to create champions

Will the win at the Olympics and the Paralympics change the way people look at shooting as a sport?

Shirur believes shooting gained prominence way back in 2004 when India made it to the finals in 2004 and Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore won the country’s  first silver in Athens. 

“Now, after Manu Bhaker’s win, I can say there has been a rise in the number of athletes who want to start shooting, and each one feels they can do it. It’s overall a healthy space to be in,” she says. 

Talking about the support for the game via sponsorships, Shirur believes more money is needed at the access level for the system to thrive, rather than just feeding the top.

“What I see as a general trend is that once an athlete breaks through and reaches a certain level, then everyone wants to help him/her stay at that level. But we need to see how we can create a broader and stronger base so that we have a regular system to create champions consistently,” she remarks. 

In essence, Shirur advocates a system that can create more Manu Bhakers. For this, she reiterates the importance of creating basic infrastructure where people get a chance to try the sport. The more ranges they see, the better is their understanding of the sport. 

Shirur knows this all too well. 

“I had joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and happened to pick up a .303 rifle by chance. I realised in the first go that it was a good sport and I liked it. My seniors took me to the state shooting range that was two hours from my home. And that’s how my journey began,” she shares.

Shirur travelled four hours a day to pursue the sport she loved. It was the “madness” in her, she says, that kept her going. How many are willing to put in that much effort, she asks. 

She went on to win medals at the Asian Games in Busan and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002. In 2004, at the Summer Olympics in Athens, she sood eighth in the final. In the same year, she created a joint world record in the qualification round of the Asian Athletics Championships in Kuala Lumpur, and won a gold medal at the event. After a hiatus, she won a gold medal at the Intershoot competition in the Netherlands in 2010.

Why did it take 20 years for another Indian woman shooter to enter the finals of the Olympics?

Shirur says it all comes down to access to the sport.

“We need to have ranges–in every district, state, region–where athletes can practise. That’s how it works in Europe. You don’t need competition size ranges, but small ranges that can even be constructed in universities. 

“This is important in a country like India where universities hardly promote sport. Make it mandatory in universities and then see the difference,” she says.

She is thankful that private sponsorships have created a huge impact on sports and helped athletes step up their game. She also believes that if private partnerships are forged at the grassroots, they will leave a greater impact. 

Does Shirur believe it’s difficult for women to sustain in sports over a period of time? She says ultimately, it's about gender equality.

“Are we a country where men and women are treated equally? No, we are not. Apart from a few pockets where I can say I’m one of the very fortunate few where I feel like I’m an equal, how many of these do we have in the country? There’s such a huge disparity. 

“So, until and unless that gender bias is not removed from our society, it would be a hard job to create medal tallies at the Olympics. For that, the same number of men and women need to have access to sports in our country,” she elaborates.

What more can be done for para athletes in the country? 

She emphasises that all public places should be wheel-chair accessible. This basic requirement of accessibility marks the beginning. She is happy that Lekhara brought awareness that para athletes exist and they can bring laurels to the country.  

Shirur hopes Bhaker winning medals at the Olympics would turn the wheels on women taking up sports in India. 

“Let this be the start of creating an ecosystem where a sporting culture thrives!”