Asian Shooting Championships: Mother-to-be Meghana Sajjanar delays break, takes bronze

NEW DELHI: When Meghana Sajjanar was shooting in the women’s 10m air rifle match, the tense final made her feel the heartbeats. Not just hers, she could hear two. Into the eighth month of pregnancy, Meghana didn’t just find the right position in her stance but also managed to win bronze in a tough final. Meghana shot 628.6 in the qualification and 229.5 to finish third at the Asian Shooting Championships here.“The difficulty level was definitely very high, both physically and technically. But I managed it through training. I reduced the training load and focused more on technique and consistency. Pregnancy is challenging, but I worked around it carefully,” Meghana, 32, told TOI.With her changed body, finding balance and centre of gravity is not an easy task.“I had to alter my jacket and trousers completely. Technically, my centre of gravity and balance have changed, which makes things more difficult. But I worked on it every single day to adapt,” the Karnataka shooter said.Meghana said her alone being still during the matches is not enough.“The baby moves. During the qualification round, especially in the beginning, I struggled because of the movement. I had to stay calm, adjust, and work through it,” said Meghana, as she shot 103.2 in the first series, while her average in the next five series was 105.Meghana had seen her first international success last year when she took bronze at the World Cup in Ningbo. The shooter didn’t want to lose momentum this year. She did well in the trials and stayed in the Indian squad.“I didn’t want to miss the Asian Championship. This is likely the last competition I’ll compete in before taking a long break, so it was a well-planned decision,” she said.The decision wasn’t easy to make.“It was a hard decision, honestly. I consulted multiple doctors, and they assured me that I could continue shooting safely. With their guidance, along with regular physiotherapy support, I felt confident enough.”Another hurdle that Meghana had to clear, which, her competitors didn’t face, was being extra careful with the medications.“I consulted doctors to ensure nothing I took came under the doping list.”Meghana trains under former shooterturned-coach Rakesh Manpat in Bengaluru.“She literally had to learn shooting again,” Manpat said.