Aiming high
Certain bottlenecks need to be cleared for the shooters to target right in the London Olympics
Arvind Katyal

INDIAN shooting has been on an upswing in the past few years, especially since the winning spree in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games and the first-ever individual gold in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The shooters are thus hopeful of a rich haul of medals in the 2012 London Olympic Games. As a former national shooter opines, "Earlier, sportspersons were not very optimistic of winning gold medals in the Olympics, but now they are confident that if Abhinav Bindra can bag a gold medal, they too can."

The points that go in favour of the shooters now are that individually they are focussed and aiming big, for nothing less than gold in the Olympics; mentally they more strong than in the past; and they have tremendous financial support pouring in, thanks to the Olympic Gold Quest Scheme and the Mittal Champions Trust besides government aid. All these factors should help in giving a push to India's performance in the next Olympic Games.

The eight Indian shooters to win quota places were: Abhinav Bindra ( rifle), Gagan Narang (rifle), Hari Om Singh (prone) Ronjan Sodhi (double trap), Sanjeev Rajput (three position) and Vijay Kumar, among the men, and Annu Raj Singh and Rahi Sarnobat (all pistol) among the women.

Samaresh Jung, who raised the bar by winning two golds and two silver medals in the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games and then five golds, one silver and a bronze in the 2006 edition, has the same feeling about the shooters’ chances in the London games. He says, "I feel we have a talented lot. It will be difficult to predict how many medals we will win but I am certain, this time we have a good chance."

"We are good, but when we compare ourselves to China, Russia or Germany, I feel, we still have a long way to go. "

The conversion of the Olympic quota into medals will depend on how mentally tough our shooters will be during the 2012 event. "Talent gave them a quota and mental toughness will give them medals," feels Amit Bhattacharjee, who is the mental trainer for Abhinav Bindra.

"It is all about handling pressure during the critical time and during the Olympic Games, as there is pressure to perform from all sides," says Amit.

Ronjan Sodhi is another bright shooter, who was recently ranked world number one in double trap. He is the best bet for a medal in the trap event.

Among the women shooters in the pistol category who have the prowess to do well are Annu Raj Singh, hailing from Aligarh, and Rahi Sarnobat from Kolhapur.

Annu won a silver medal in the same event at the Asian Games in Guangzhou. Her hard work continued to pay rich dividends in 2011, as her silver medal performance at the World Cup made her the first Indian woman pistol shooter to win a quota berth for the 2012 London Olympics.

Rahi won a bronze in the 25 m air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup at Fort Benning, in the US. She is the sixth Indian shooter to qualify for the London Olympics. The Kolhapur girl fired a 789.7 that placed her third, and gave her a berth for the upcoming Olympics.

However, there are some bottlenecks which need to be cleared immediately at the intervention of the Sports Ministry. For instance, the air pistol shooters are without any foreign coach till date and with only a few months to go for the 2012 London Games, this great shortcoming might play havoc with the shooters' chances. The blame for not getting a foreign coach is being put on the recent doping crisis and the unethical dropping of the athletics coach from Ukraine, which has sent shock waves among foreign coaches all over the world and they are reluctant to come to India now. They know Indian shooters have great potential but with the fear of defamation in mind, good coaches are not taking any chances. This has hampered the training of the shooters, who from time to time have expressed anguish over the non-appointment of a pistol coach.

Hungarian coach Csaba Gyorik had earlier worked for Indian shooters but he left in 2008. Renowned coach Alexander Meletiev, too, rejected an offer in 2010 due to the Sports Ministry's delay and short-term contract.

Rahi says, "I am representing India from 2008 and haven't got any coach since then. We are doing well but, at times, we need the help of a good and experienced coach, which we are unable to get. If we had had a coach, we would have been consistent."

Fitness mantra
Doing Dukan
Mridula Wattas

The Dukan diet has gained incredible popularity since its creation. Media reports say that millions of French women as well as celebrities and models follow this diet to maintain their figures. Until recently, the diet was only available in France. The English version of the Dukan Diet officially became available in 2010. The U.S. version became available just recently in April 2011

The Dukan diet has gained popularity after getting a follower in Kate Middleton Photo: AFP

THE Dukan diet was developed by French doctor Pierre Dukan over 10 years ago. It is believed that millions of French women followed this diet to maintain their figures. It has recently gained a lot of popularity because many noted celebrities swear by it. Kate Middleton, now the Duchess of Cambridge, was supposed to have gone on this special diet before her wedding. Penelope Cruz and Jennifer Lopez are some of the Hollywood stars who owe their terrific figures to the Dukan diet.

The Dukan diet is quite similar to the popular Atkins diet. It is based around eating high-protein foods while severely limiting all carbohydrates. Unlike the Atkins diet, the emphasis is on sources of protein that are low in fat, such as fish, poultry and dairy products. The Dukan diet includes four phases: the attack phase, the cruise phase, the consolidation phase, and finally the stabilisation phase.

During the attack phase, one can have only protein rich foods. This would basically include non- vegetarian foods like fish, chicken and seafood. For vegetarians, milk and milk products are the best options. This phase lasts for one to 10 days, depending on the number of kilos which are to be lost. Dieters are warned that they may experience bad breath and a dry mouth during this phase, which may be countered to some degree by drinking more water and having oat bran. Weight is lost very quickly in this phase — even up to 1 to 2 kilos a day!

In the cruise phase of the Dukan diet, days of ‘protein only’ are alternated with days of ‘protein and vegetables’. The types of vegetables allowed in this phase are limited to those that do not contain starch, such as lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumber, asparagus and tomato. Vegetables can be consumed raw, steamed, or in soups and stews. This phase continues till your weight loss goal is achieved.

The consolidation phase is the maintenance phase. The diet based on protein and vegetables is continued but you are also allowed one portion of fruit as well as two slices of wholegrain bread each day. In addition, you are permitted one extra serving of a carbohydrate food per week, which may include foods like pasta or rice. In this phase of the Dukan diet, you are also allowed one ‘celebration meal’ each week, which is increased to twice a week after you have been in this phase for a while. This phase is the critically important period between weight loss and maintenance, when the plan lightens up a bit but no weight loss is expected.`A0This is a time when your body is vulnerable to putting pounds back on. But if you stay in this phase five days for every pound you’ve lost, Dr Dukan says, you’ll avoid regain.

The final stabilisation phase is the ongoing lifestyle phase of the Dukan diet. In this phase, you are instructed to go back to eating whatever you like but in moderation.Care has to be taken to keep the carbohydrate intake low. One day of the week dieters are instructed to eat only proteins. At least 20 minutes exercise daily and three tablespoons of oat bran every day are a must.

Just like any other diet, there are pros and cons to the Dukan diet. Some pros include fast results in the first phase, which can boost motivation, no calorie counting required, the diet includes vegetarian options, and the "celebration meals" in the final phases of which can help psychologically to improve adherence to the diet.

Some cons of the Dukan diet include that it is highly restrictive and requires elimination of healthy foods, including fruit, grains, legumes, and nuts. Dieters may experience mood swings and fatigue constipation, headaches, and bad breath as this diet increases the process of ketosis. This is not suitable for people with a history of gout, kidney disease, high cholesterol, or eating disorders.

In conclusion, while dieters can expect to lose weight following this plan, it is highly likely that weight will be regained upon a return to normal eating habits. The best way to approach weight loss is to eat a variety of healthy foods, which include fruits, vegetables, wholegrain breads and cereals, healthy fats and low-fat protein foods, and to maintain good portion control.