Backed by Abhinav Bindra and inspired by his college senior Neeraj Chopra, young shooter Arjun Babuta is looking to "deliver" a strong performance at the World Championship and secure an Olympic quota.
The 23-year-old has played a pivotal role in India's impressive show at the ongoing ISSF World Cup in Changwon, Korea, having claimed two Gold for the country.
"Neeraj (Chopra) and I studied at the same college in Chandigarh, although he was a batch senior than me. But what he achieved at the Olympic Games in 2020 was a huge motivating factor for athletes like me and he is indeed a huge inspiration," Arjun said.
"Sport is very difficult for young athletes who go through the grind every single day. But Neeraj's historic feat has lifted an entire generation of young athletes, including me, who are hungrier than ever to win something for India in the grandest stage," he added.
Babuta's double Gold-winning feat at the World Cup will, in all likelihood, earn him a place in the Indian side for the upcoming World Championships in Cairo.
He said that qualifying for the Paris Olympic Games is his biggest "goal in life" right now.
"I was 19 when I missed the Tokyo Olympics qualifying event in 2019. The pain and agony was excruciating, but I practised round-the-clock to ensure that I win medal at the World Cup," Arjun said. "The prime focus, right now, is to deliver a top performance at the World Championships and qualify for the Paris Olympics," he added.
The 23-year-old Punjab man said he grew up hearing stories about Abhinav Bindra's historic Gold medal-winning feat at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, when he became the first Indian to win an individual yellow metal at the Games.
"His achievements moulded me as a shooter. A towering personality like him who changed Indian sports in 2008, taught me so many things about life and sport," Arjun remarked.