New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) While the official announcement for the inaugural edition of the Shooting League of India (SLI) has already created a buzz in the country, international athletes are equally excited to witness a new format of the sport emerging from India. Hundreds of talent have already expressed their interest in the league, including several Olympic medal winners and legends of the sport.

USA’s Mary Tucker, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the mixed 10m air rifle team, explains why she was drawn towards applying for the SLI. The 23-year-old has earlier competed for the University of Kentucky and West Virginia University in the NCAA competitions and played for Saltendorf in the Bundesliga in Germany, and said she enjoys competing in tournaments with team formats.

“There was a lot of draw to go ahead and fill out the form for the Shooting League of India. I really like leagues. I have experience with the NCAA and with the Bundesliga, and I really like being on a team and having that atmosphere of being able to have spectators rooting for an entire team. I also really like the format of having top athletes and junior athletes competing together. I feel like that’s a huge opportunity to develop shooting sports both within India and all around the world,” Mary said.

The ISSF has allocated the window between November 20 and December 2 for the first season of the SLI and the tournament will feature mixed team events in pistol (10m, 25m), rifle (10m, 50m 3 positions), and shotgun (Trap & Skeet), as decided by the NRAI Technical Committee.

“India is at a really high level in the sport, so it’s really a good opportunity for the Indian athletes, I think, to compete with people from outside, but also it’s a great opportunity for international athletes because we get to compete with the really high-level Indian shooters. I think it will be a really great opportunity as well to build a kind of fan base and hopefully get some more interest in the whole world,” she further added.

Mary also expressed how having an experience of playing for several teams may give her an advantage in the upcoming league, and also delved deeper into the psychological aspects of representing a franchise.

“Those athletes who have shot in the NCAA or in the Bundesliga for many years could have a bit of an advantage because we do know what it’s like to compete with the pressure of a team. It’s very different, you’re competing only for yourself or only for your country, versus if you’re competing for a school or a city. Everybody from the city is behind you, and you really want to make them proud. You also have teammates, and you don’t want to let them down. You have to learn how to deal with the pressure of that,” the USA athlete said.

On a personal front, Mary also said that she believes that the league will not only help in growing the popularity of the sport across the USA and other regions, but also help her individual game.

“The opportunity to travel more and train with other high-level athletes is going to help bring my level of shooting up. And there are going to be different types of opportunities and experiences that we will get with this league. It may put you in a situation that is super different or uncomfortable. And that will help a ton because we are going to be able to get used to those situations,” she said.

“Additionally, I think showing the USA that it is possible to have a professional league with athletes from other countries would be a big step. We have teams at the college level but not at the professional level. And to show that the whole world is interested, but also US athletes are doing really well, will create a lot of buzz here, which would be great for us ahead of the 2028 LA Olympics. We will be able to fill up our spectators,” Mary added.

Meanwhile, during her tours, Tucker has spent time with a lot of Indian players and is eager to pair up with a few of them to further help elevate her game and also to learn a few tricks up her sleeve.

“I definitely know a lot of the Indian shooters. I know Elavenil Valarivan very well, and it will be really interesting to see her grow. I think she is going to have a huge following.

“I also am really good friends with Anjum Moudgil, and I think she brings a lot of sports psychology stuff to it. I am really interested to see how she is going to use the platform to promote the youth and the mental health aspect, which is something that I will jump on if she starts doing that,” Mary signed off.

–IANS

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