Shooter Meghana Sajjanar's target blocked by fund crunch

BENGALURU: Top rifle shooter Meghana Sajjanar, one of the probables for the Paris Olympics, is struggling to focus on her sport because of mounting expenses, given her rigorous training schedule.
The 30-year-old Bengaluru shooter, who bagged the silver medal in the Nationals with her six-year-old rifle on Tuesday, is keen to take her good work forward but feels that without sponsorship she won’t be able to continue for long.If there’s no way out she will trade her rifle with a computer for a career in information technology.
A computer science engineer, who graduated from Jain University in 2016, Meghana is now in the running for a place in the national squad following her strong show in the Nationals.
“If I had money I would definitely change my equipment. A new rifle will cost around Rs 3-4 lakh. We have to change the equipment. Unlike before, now the scores are much higher. The equipment has to be the best to deliver world class results,” Meghana, who works in Railways as a junior clerk, told TOI.
“The previous sponsorship did help and it lasted 18 months, but the amount was very small so I didn’t know where to spend the money. As such the rifle and ammunition are expensive and then the funding for coaching, travel and accommodation. Recently, I had a chance to train abroad but I opted out as I couldn’t fund it.”
Meghana has now overcome the disappointment of missing out on the Paris Games and is determined to do well in the coming years.
“Technically and physically, I’m up there and I can go on for another two olympics,” the soft spoken shooter said.
The Bengaluru shooter, who helped India win a team medal in women's 10m air rifle at the Cairo Worlds in 2022 along with Elavenil Valerivan and Mehuli Ghosh, also finished a creditable 14th in the individual event.