Croatia exposure will help us keep focus, says pistol shooter Verma

New Delhi, May 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Olympic-bound shooter Abhishek Verma is excited to travel to Croatia for the national camp. The 30-year-old says the trip will help the national team stay focussed for the Tokyo Olympics.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has arranged a three-month long national camp in Croatia.

"The situation in India is not good for training due to pandemic. It is good that NRAI is sending the national team to Europe," said the 10 metre air pistol shooter.

The 13-member Indian shooting team will leave for the European country on Tuesday.

Verma, who hails from Haryana, said he has to stay focussed to achieve his goal of winning a medal in Japan.

"In Europe, we will get a chance to compete in two competitions -- European Shooting Championships in the third week of May and the Croatia World Cup in June. Both the tournaments will enable us to evaluate our performance ahead of Olympics," he said during an online media interaction facilitated by the Sports Authority of India.

Verma said he is gradually adapting to the new situation due to pandemic.

"Even during the New Delhi World Cup in March, we had to make certain adjustments including wearing masks most of the time at the ranges. There were shields separating shooting lanes. It was a challenging situation, but we managed to perform," he added.

The Jakarta Asian Games bronze medal winner said the three months leading up to the Olympics are very crucial for training.

"As a shooter, I believe there is no time to make any new adjustment in technique. It will be good if I am able to maintain my form till the Tokyo Olympics," said the 2019 Beijing World Cup gold-medallist.

Source: IANS