Five years ago, Divyansh Panwar made a big impression on the senior rifle squad of India with his long hair and highly arched shooting position. He quickly developed exceptional marksmanship, which helped him get to the top of the international rankings and qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 as a medal contender. The 21-year-old's road since Tokyo has not been easy; he has had little international success, increasing competition on the home circuit, and is currently refining his technique. His posture has straightened considerably, which eases the strain on his back. The bittersweet memory of missing the Olympics in Paris stems from his defeat in the 10mair rifle final trials against Sandeep Singh and Arjun Babuta.
With the World Cup Finals in New Delhi in one week, Indian shooters will begin their 2028 Los Angeles cycle. Panwar will be back in action with the goal of finding his form and confidence. Panwar hopes that the current version of the stage will help him resume his career, as it was the platform that gave him his first significant international triumph - he won the solo and mixed team events at the World Cup Finals in Putian, China in 2019. "It will be very important to my confidence and belief if I perform well in the World Cup Finals. I haven't scaled the podium in a long. "I want to start well as it will be the beginning of a new Olympic cycle," he says. "I quickly moved beyond my regret at not being able to join the Paris squad. At most, it took me a day. I don't think that bad things happen by accident. Though I'm happy to say I tried my hardest, it wasn't good enough. I can't deny that there are others who shot better than me, he continues. Panwar was an avid sports enthusiast who watched the Olympics, especially the thrilling men's javelin final. He kept track of the shooting incidents and felt sympathy for fourth-place finisher Babuta. Since Arjun and I are close friends, I am aware of his anguish. He retreats into a shell even now whenever someone brings up the Paris final, he claims. The World Cup Finals will see Panwar and Babuta in the same lineup. They seldom ever discuss shooting. Their discussion is mostly around maintaining mental clarity. In the end, shooting is mostly a mental sport. We spoke about how to focus for extended periods of time because it's an area he needs to improve on.
Panwar acknowledges that despite pushing himself "the hardest I have ever done" in the weeks leading up to Paris, he still had mental gaps. It's a prevalent problem inside our fraternity. Sometimes it's right before you pull the trigger when your thoughts start to stray. To shoot well, you have to be there. He claims that rather than the method, Panwar's thoughts would gravitate towards the outcome and its consequences. He uses a variety of coping mechanisms, like as deep breathing, slow Om chanting, listening to the music playing at the range, or cursing himself. He attributes it to Indian shooters' blatantly aggressive style. "We ought to be more at ease. Chinese and American people don't treat sports as if their lives depended on it. While shooting is the core of our lives, for them it is only a part of life. They are able to perform at the greatest level because of this, he claims. Thus, following the Olympic selection trials, Panwar took a three-month hiatus from shooting and travelled to Indonesia with a buddy, spending time at a Jakarta shooting range. He is now arranging a trip to the United States in an attempt to learn from the country's best shooters. "The trip to Indonesia consisted of 60% personal and 40% shooting. I hope to go alone someday to see the globe and learn more about myself. But for the time being, the well-known Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range is calling. "It will mark the beginning of a new adventure."
