Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
Chandigarh, March 28
“It is not enough, I can’t let it go from here, I can do it,” young Ganemat Sekhon told herself once she made it to the top six in the skeet final at ISSF Junior World Cup in Sydney on Tuesday.
The 16-year-old, though, missed a couple of targets thereafter to slip a few places, before she pulled herself to finish with a bronze.
The Chandigarh girl scored a total of 36 points to finish behind hosts’ Aislin Jones (51) and Yufei Che of China (47). “From round one she was leading in the final, but then she missed two-three birds… plus it is her first World Cup final, so she got little (nervous). You need to have some experience. She got a little nervous but then she pulled it,” said a proud Amrinder Sekhon, Ganemat’s father.
The senior Sekhon, who was up early this morning to watch his daughter compete in the World Cup final, revealed that Ganemat was a bit low after “not so good round” on Monday, but picked herself up to win a bronze for the country.
“Yesterday, the rounds did not go really well so she was a bit upset. But she shot really well. The weather conditions there were really bad yesterday… In the morning she was pepped up and when she got into the top six she called me and I told her that I was really happy with her performance. But she said it was not enough, I can’t let it go from here. I can do it,” he said.
Ganemat took to shooting in 2015 after one of her cousins took her to the shooting range, and since then “there has been no looking back”.
“My family is into shooting, but not at this level. My nephew is also a shooter and he took her (Ganemat) to the shooting range one day and then she really liked it, and them she said papa I want to do it, that’s how it all started,” Sekhon recalled.
He, though, mentioned that things had not been so easy and Ganemat had to really work had to get to this position. “Everything is really tough, but it’s the hard work she puts in that makes things look easier. Otherwise, the sports fraternity, the school, they are all supporting us, so that’s a positive sign,” said Sekhon.
Ganemat, who studies in Vivek High School, travels to Patiala every day to train under Parampal Singh. “She is very hardworking. She travels all the way to Patiala and shoots there. The school gives her off at 11, then she goes there, she eats there, for four to five days a week. Then she comes back and does her study,” said the proud father.
“She is very passionate about the sport. She doesn’t think of anything else, it’s just the exercise, the shooting and the studies. She is fond of art and in her spare time she is drawing or doing something like that,” Sekhon added.
