‘Playing in Delhi has its challenges’: 22-year-old Rhythm Sangwan chases ‘missing’ gold on home turf

NEW DELHI: For Rhythm Sangwan, the honesty comes easy. There is no attempt to dress up the pressure of competing at home, no rehearsed bravado. At 22, the Meerut-born shooter has already built a resume many would envy. “I would say that especially it's happening in Delhi in our home ground, it has both its plus points and minus points, because you have those expectations from your people that the Indian athletes are going to do well, and I believe that is going to be a challenge,” Sangwan told reporters during a virtual interaction on Thursday after finishing her first day in the camp for the Asian Rifle and Pistol Shooting Championship, which starts on February 2 in New Delhi. From ISSF Junior World Cup titles, senior World Championship medals, and a world record in the 25m Pistol Women’s Qualification, she has already won many battles. Yet, one line on her CV still feels incomplete: an Asian Championship gold.She has been close. In her second Asian Championship appearance in 2024, Sangwan clinched two bronze medals and a silver. Gold, however, has stayed just out of reach. And now, with the continental meet arriving in Delhi, the chances of a gold don't feel distant. Sangwan, however, is careful not to let the past weigh her down.“I don’t think that we take that load on our heads because if we think about the history, then we won’t be able to complete and focus on what's ahead of us," she added. "We just focus on our process, and I think that's about it.”The word “process” recurs often in her vocabulary. Even at the start of the new year, her tone resonates a detachment from any medal forecasts. Looking back at the previous year, Sangwan frames 2025 as a period of learning rather than results.“I would say that I learned a lot of things. I made some changes because I had a break from my international events. I also competed in the ISSF World Cup China. I really enjoyed that match, and that venue has also become a new favourite,” she noted.For someone who has already experienced the highs of global success at a young age, managing expectations could easily become overwhelming.“My approach is to take it one step at a time," she admitted. "Currently, I'm just focusing on the Asian championship, and we'll just see it as we move forward.” Does she have any specific goals for this tournament?“I just want to focus on my process. I think that is the only goal, because for every athlete, they have some other goal, but I believe that if we stick to it, we can achieve the results. As they say, focus on the process and the results will follow.”Technically, the preparation has been about fine-tuning rather than an overhaul.“Nothing major (has changed) as of now, but we do a bit of additions here and there. So that goes on constantly across the year as per the performance and as per the feedback from my coach," she said.If Sangwan’s words are any indication, the missing gold does not look like a burden, rather just another target downrange, waiting for its turn.(The Asian Rifle and Pistol Shooting Championship will be live streamed on FanCode.)