Rift Between Thomas Farnik and Deepali Deshpande Deepens After India’s World Championship Setback
India’s disappointing performance in the rifle events at the ongoing ISSF World Championship in Doha has brought tensions within the national coaching setup into the spotlight. A reported disagreement between foreign rifle coach Thomas Farnik and national coach Deepali Deshpande has raised concerns about coordination and communication within the Indian shooting contingent.
According to reports, Austrian coach Farnik is unhappy with the way the coaching responsibilities are being handled and believes that his inputs are not receiving sufficient consideration from the national coaching staff. The differences have reportedly intensified following India’s underwhelming performances in the air rifle competitions.
Thomas Farnik and Deepali Deshpande Reportedly Involved in Heated Exchange
The disagreement between the two coaches reportedly escalated during a team debriefing session, where both were said to have blamed each other for India’s disappointing performance. The heated exchange is understood to have taken place in front of members of the entire Indian contingent.
According to a source familiar with the developments, Farnik feels that national coaches, including Deshpande, are dominating the team’s preparations and that his suggestions are not being considered while planning the training programmes for shooters.
The Austrian coach had reportedly expressed his frustration to a rifle shooter, stating that he was not being given an adequate say in preparing the athletes’ schedules and training plans.
The reported differences have brought the working relationship between the foreign and national coaching staff under scrutiny, particularly at a major international competition where coordination and planning are crucial.
Indian Rifle Shooters Struggle at ISSF World Championship
The coaching dispute comes after a difficult start for India’s rifle shooters at the ISSF World Championship in Doha. The Indian contingent struggled to secure places in the individual finals of the men’s and women’s 10m air rifle events.
Out of India’s six participants in the two individual competitions, five failed to qualify for the finals. Elavenil Valarivan was the only Indian shooter to make it through to the women’s 10m air rifle final, where she eventually finished sixth.
The result was a disappointing one for the Indian shooting team, which had entered the competition with expectations of delivering strong performances against the world’s leading shooters.
Mixed Team Disqualification Adds to India’s Disappointment
India’s difficulties continued in the 10m air rifle mixed team competition, where the pair of Parth Mane and Shambhavi Kshirsagar faced another setback.
The Indian pair had completed the qualification round, but Shambhavi was subsequently disqualified after failing a post-qualification equipment inspection. The issue was related to the stiffness of her shooting equipment, which did not meet the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) regulations.
The disqualification proved particularly disappointing as the Indian pair had been in contention for a place in the four-team final. The incident added to the concerns surrounding equipment compliance and preparation within the Indian shooting setup.
Pressure Mounts on India’s Shooting Coaching Setup
The reported disagreement between Farnik and Deshpande has emerged at an important stage for Indian shooting, with the ISSF World Championship in Doha also marking the beginning of the qualification cycle for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The competition offers valuable opportunities for Indian shooters to secure Olympic quota places through their individual performances. As a result, effective coordination between coaches, technical staff and athletes remains essential.
With the Indian rifle team facing challenges both on and off the shooting range, the reported coaching differences have added another layer of concern to its World Championship campaign. Improving team coordination, addressing performance issues and ensuring proper preparation will be important as Indian shooters continue their international campaign.
