International Women’s Day: Sports is one field where you do not feel prejudice on gender, says shooter Heena Sidhu

Heena Sidhu initially did not see herself choosing shooting as a profession. While growing up in a joint family in Patiala district of Punjab, she was engrossed in her studies to pursue medical sciences. Shooting was something that developed as a hobby. Born to a family of shooters, she was always lured by guns. Burdened with too much of studies, she would take the sport as a recreation activity away from her studies.

She started entering district tournaments where she won medals. In 2009, she became a part of India’s shooting contingent, but it wasn’t till Olympics 2012 that she decided to leave her dentistry career behind to pursue the sport full-time.

“At 2012 Olympics, I realised this is what I want to do. I felt how close I am to winning a medal, no matter how far I was. Giving it all away would have been disrespectful for my country and for the sport. There would be lakhs of better doctors than me but very few better shooters,” the 28-year-old told indianexpress.com in a chat.

Now, 12-years being a professional shooter, the Commonwealth Games 2018 gold medallist feels there is no division on the basis of gender in sports. Talking about prejudices faced by women in their professional fields, Sidhu said: “Sports is one field where you do not field prejudice on gender. Most of the sports have women and men category. So no one can put you down and say you are doing something which is supposed to be just done by men. Of course, in some sports, men’s events get more limelight, just like how in certain sports, women’s version does. But that is something you do not feel as a sportsperson. That is the beauty.”