Heena Sidhu
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
2016
The Times of India, Aug 02 2016
Dhananjay Roy
Hailing from a family of shooters in Patiala, Heena has been one of India's most consistent performers in the recent past, and holds the world record in her pet discipline: the 10m air pistol. The 26-year-old won gold at the World Cup Finals in Munich in 2013, beating the world champion Zorana Arunovic of Serbia.
The former World No. 1 is coached by her husband Ronak Pandit, a former Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Mumbai, and is the daughter-in-law of another multiple-medal winner Ashok Pandit.
“In February 2012, she told me: `I need you to be my coach.' And since I took up the challenge, she has trusted me with every decision,“ said Ronak, 31, adding: “In these years she has fired between 15,000-20,000 shots during practice and each one of them has been monitored and documented by me.“
“Heena is an introvert. She will not open up to people easily . Her nature and approach is suited to a sport like shooting which requires a great deal of focus, discipline and persistence,“ reckoned Ronak. “In fact, she is so engrossed in training round the year that she ends up upsetting some people close to her as they feel she is not giving them sufficient time.“ Also, the fact that Heena is not obsessed with only her sport has allowed her to cultivate multiple interests. She is a qualified doctor and an art and music enthusiast.
“As a student I always wanted to become a doctor. I wanted to know how the body works, how the mind works. It was very fascinating,“ she said.
But does it not get claustrophobic at times, spending all your time in the midst of people who have always been into shooting? Heena believes it's the understanding of the sport, and the appreciation of her individuality by people around her that helps her stay fully focussed. “My inlaws have been very supportive of me.They understand the nuances of shooting and the kind of sacrifice it involves.
“Also, having Ronak by my side has made things a lot easier. He keeps encouraging me, and takes care of all the paperwork that's required. That's not a small thing since shooters have to go through a lot of hassle, be it spending hours at airports to get our weapons cleared, or every other thing that we need while training.“
As for Ronak, there are times when adjustments have to be made. “Playing the dual role of husband and coach is not easy. But we are two friends living together, so that takes care of a lot of things.“
