Mary tucker

West Virginia University: While the official announcement for the inaugural edition of the Shooting League of India (SLI) has already created a buzz in the country, international athletes are equally excited to witness a new format of the sport emerging from India. Hundreds of talent have already expressed their interest in the league, including several Olympic medal winners and legends of the sport.

USA's Mary Tucker, who won the silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in the mixed 10m air rifle team, explains why she was drawn towards applying for the SLI. The 23-year-old has earlier competed for the University of Kentucky and West Virginia University in the NCAA competitions and played for Saltendorf in the Bundesliga in Germany, and said she enjoys competing in tournaments with team formats.

“There was a lot of draw to go ahead and fill out the form for the Shooting League of India. I really like leagues. I have experience with the NCAA and with the Bundesliga, and I really like being on a team and having that atmosphere of being able to have spectators rooting for an entire team. I also really like the format of having top athletes and junior athletes competing together. I feel like that's a huge opportunity to develop shooting sports both within India and all around the world,” Mary said.