India’s air rifle coaches involved in public spat after Doha World Championship debacle

REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE: The spat has cast a spotlight on working relationships among the National Rifle Association of India’s backroom staff. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

A heated exchange between senior members of the coaching setup against the backdrop of a difficult campaign for India’s air rifle shooters at the ongoing ISSF World Championship in Doha has raised questions about the atmosphere within the camp.

What began as a disagreement escalated into a public altercation between foreign rifle coach Thomas Farnik and his national counterpart Deepali Deshpande, with each blaming the other for the debacle, according to a source familiar with the incident.

The ‘ugly spat’ unfolded in front of the entire team, including an 18-year-old competing in her first senior international match.

“The relationship between Farnik and Deepali was far from cordial. The exchange involved objectionable language, and neither is now willing to work with the other,” the source said.

It is understood that Dr. Pierre Beauchamp, who oversees India’s high-performance programme, held the coaches responsible for certain aspects of the team’s performance, triggering the episode during the subsequent debrief meeting.

Sportstar, which had reached out to Beauchamp for further clarity on the incident, was left on read. Farnik, too, was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Beauchamp had earlier spoken about the challenges posed by the short turnaround between the Asian Games and the Worlds, including the lack of adequate recovery time for athletes. The demands of the international calendar have therefore been an acknowledged challenge for the contingent.

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“It felt a little wrong, whatever was happening, so we left,” a participant of the said meeting says under conditions of anonymity.

The account has cast a spotlight on working relationships among the National Rifle Association of India’s backroom staff at a tournament that marks the start of the qualification cycle for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

On the opening day of the quota-bearing competition, five of the six Indian participants in the men’s and women’s 10m air rifle events failed to reach the individual finals. Elavenil Valarivan was the only Indian to make the women’s final, finishing sixth. The mixed-team campaign also yielded little success, with Shambhavi Kshirsagar disqualified after failing an equipment check following qualification.

Published on Nov 08, 2026

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