Commonwealth Games 2018 | Jitu Rai believes yoga to be key to his preparations
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The Khel Ratna winner Jitu Rai has said that the attention to details will be crucial to his success in Australia, and it will help him in honing his skills ahead of a gruelling schedule. Believing mental health to be essential in his line of work, the Army ace has turned to meditation & yoga.
The affiliation between the ancient Indian art and sport should be obvious, but it is only recently that the Yoga fad assumed a key cog in sporting preparations. Shaquille O’Neal, LeBron James, and even the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team have all gone on record citing yoga as an integral part of the process of achieving mental peace and keeping expectations at bay ahead of major matches and tournaments.
India’s big hope in shooting in Australia, Jitu Rai, who also won the Gold medal in the 50m air pistol event at the Glasgow CWG, affirmed this, saying, “Before every big tournament, I tend to get overburdened by the mounting expectations to perform. This sometimes takes a toll on your mind, body and overall performance. I experienced it (during the 2016 Rio Olympics)," reported Times of India.
"Of late, I have totally immersed myself in meditation, yoga and other sports activities. Getting up early and performing the routine has become a habit. It has helped me in developing better concentration levels.”
Jitu missed out on a medal at Rio, finishing 8th in the 10m air pistol event and 14th in the 50m air pistol event. He believes his preparation, in addition to Yoga, will help him deliver better results this time around in all events, not just the Commonwealth Games.
“The preparations are on the right track. I am practising at the Army Marksman Unit in Mhow and not at the national camp. The target is to win medals at the CWG, Asian Games and
