India, April 7 -- Rudrankksh Patil felt everything was new when he stood at the firing point during the National Shooting Championships in December. It was his first competition since a heart-breaking exit from the Paris Olympics trials in May last year. Only the second 10m air rifle shooter to become world champion - Abhinav Bindra was the first - he had earned India a quota spot for the Olympics, but didn't score enough in the two-leg trials to make the cut for Paris. That miss still gnawed at him.

During the break from competitions, Rudrankksh realised he needed a course correction for the new Olympic cycle. He has to be at the top of his game in the domestic trials as well as international tournaments. Two important aspects that need...