Shooting
Arjun Babuta 2.0: Reinvented, recharged, and ready to rise
The shooter is in an experimental phase after his fourth-place finish at the Paris Olympics.
Arjun Babuta. (Photo credit: Ritu Sejwal/The Bridge)
After missing an Olympic medal by a razor-thin margin, Indian shooter Arjun Babuta is reinventing himself — experimenting with new events, refining his technique, and working closely with a team to sharpen every aspect of his game, both physical and mental, in pursuit of greater success.
The year 2025 has already witnessed a new and transformed version of Arjun Babuta. Babuta is in an experimental phase.
Babuta, who was in medal contention throughout the final at the Paris Olympics, lost out on the podium in the deciding shot.
He, however, bounced back with a strong performance at this year’s World Cup in Lima, winning a silver medal in men’s 10m air rifle. The Indian shooter finished 0.1 points behind reigning Olympic champion Sheng Lihao, narrowly missing the gold.
“I feel really good about it (winning silver at the Lima World Cup). I learned a few things from Paris and have been experimenting a lot since. I’m working on the mental, physical, nutritional, and recovery aspects, which will help me maintain my focus. I feel fresh,” Arjun Babuta told The Bridge on the sidelines of the logo launch of the Shooting League of India in New Delhi, on Thursday.
“How I approach the target or how much pressure I'm putting on the trigger and how many breaths I take in one shot cycle, before lifting the rifle to put it back, and more,” he elaborated.
“All these things are taken care of by a team of professionals. Whatever they ask me to do, I just do it,” he added.
Embracing change
Aiming to enhance his medal prospects, Babuta has started training for the 50m 3 position.
Babuta, along with the Indian contingent, will be heading to Munich for the season's third World Cup.
“I just put up with the new event of three positions and got a new rifle in 10 meters. It will be interesting to see how all that reflects in my performance. And I'm also expecting better results obviously. The mental approach will be different as well. So I’m looking forward to it more as an experimental competition,” he highlighted.
On the Shooting League of India (SLI), Babuta said, “I'm excited. Shooting is so good at the world level from India.
"People can now see what we do. There's so much that we are doing. We have to keep our breath in a certain manner. We have to keep our heart rate stable, and we keep our nerves calm. How we keep ourselves calm so they can actually see everything, and they'll get to experience the thrill of the sport,” he concluded.
