Centre brings together advanced
training, sports science and athlete support under one roof
Mumbai: Axis Bank, one of the largest private
sector banks in India, and Lakshya Shooting Club today inaugurated the Axis
Bank Lakshya Shooting Club High Performance Centre at CBD Belapur, Navi
Mumbai. The Centre aims to act as a world-class, completely para-inclusive hub
for training, sports science, nutrition & medicine, and comprehensive
athlete development programme to identify and nurture India’s talent in
shooting and provide a world class training and coaching platform for India’s
top shooters to prepare for greater success at the Olympic level.
The Lakshya Shooting Club, established
by Indian Olympian and former national shooting coach Suma Shirur in 2006, has
spent two decades scouting and developing India’s shooting talent, with its athletes
achieving success at the national and international levels, including the
Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the World
Championships. Its success stories include Avani Lekhara, a three-time
Paralympic medallist with gold medals at Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and Parth
Mane, Junior World Champion in 2024 and team silver medallist at the
Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
The new 6-storey Centre builds on this
deep expertise and experience, housing two dedicated 10-metre shooting ranges,
strength and conditioning facilities, biomechanics assessment, physiotherapy,
sports psychology, nutrition support, recovery spaces and residential
facilities under a single roof.
The Centre adopts a focused
athlete-development structure encompassing Elite Residency, Day Scholar and Development
programmes providing distinct pathways for athletes at different stages of
their journey. While the Centre shall primarily focus on elite athletes
preparing for international competition, Lakshya’s wider network of centres
shall continue to feed and nurture emerging talent.
By combining best-in-class coaching
with scientific assessment and individualised athlete support, the Centre aims
to prepare shooters for the technical, physical and psychological demands of
global competition.
Speaking on the occasion, Vijay
Mulbagal, Group Head - Wholesale Bank Coverage, Corporate Salary,
Sustainability & CSR, Axis Bank, said, “Shooting has been one of
India’s most successful Olympic sports and a source of immense national pride.
While our shooters are already making their mark globally, the potential to
achieve even greater success is tremendous. Through our partnership with Lakshya
Shooting Club, we are committed to providing aspiring and elite athletes with access
to world-class infrastructure, coaching and technical support. Our ambition is
to help create an environment where talent can thrive, champions can be
nurtured, and India’s shooting excellence can continue to scale new heights. We
hope this Centre will contribute meaningfully to India’s sporting success for
many years to come.”
Suma Shirur, Founder and High
Performance Director, Lakshya Shooting Club, said, “When we started Lakshya in
2006, we had a simple dream: to give shooters the opportunities, guidance and
support they needed to realise their potential. Over the years, seeing athletes
we have worked with win Paralympic gold medals and world titles has been deeply
fulfilling. It has also reinforced our belief that talent needs the right
ecosystem to flourish.
“This Centre is the next chapter of
that journey. For me, it is much more than a building or a set of world-class
facilities. It is about creating an environment where our best athletes can
prepare to take on the world, where every aspect of their performance is
supported, and where the dream of an Olympic medal feels within reach. We are
deeply grateful to Axis Bank for partnering with us in bringing this vision to
life.”
Notably, the Centre is a
green-certified building, built to high sustainability standards to ensure
energy and resource efficiency.