New Delhi: India’s trap shooting preparations for the Paris Olympics later this year took a hit after shotgun foreign coach, Italy’s Marcello Dradi, revealed on Monday that he is diagnosed with liver cancer, barely six months away from the mega extravaganza. The 54-year-old, who had coached powerhouses like China, Great Britain, France, Russia and Spain among others, recently underwent surgery after the cancer reoccurred for the third time. A small portion of his liver had to be removed.
Going by the condition Dradi currently is in, he can’t leave the country for more than four days as he needs to go for post-surgery check-ups. In that case, Dradi won’t be able to spend time with Indian shooters for long camps and competitions abroad. “I wanted to have the surgery in December (last year) but there was no way to have the surgery then. I am ready to come (to India) as I said at the beginning but…,” Dradi told PTI.
Dradi became India’s coach when he replaced Australian shotgun expert Russell Mark and his wife, skeet coach Lauryn Mark, who quit following alleged differences with the national sports body for shooting. He was hired by Sports Authority of India (SAI) last year on the recommendations of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
Notably, Dradi had also missed the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year because of accreditation-relates issues. Asked if he wanted to quit considering his health issues, Dradi sounded positive but with an Indian shooting medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Yes, obviously. I signed the contract because I would like to close my career with a medal, not with a (Olympic) quota, for India. I wasn’t expecting (the health would suffer) when I signed the contract,” he said. Statistically, Dradi is one of the most experienced coaches in the world, having won seven Olympic medals.
Meanwhile, NRAI secretary Rajiv Bhatia and vice-president Kalikesh Singh Deo stated they were unaware of Dradi’s condition. “I have no idea about him. He was not well, that was the reason,” Bhatia said. Singh Deo, when contacted, said, he had been in Odisha for the last one month and was unaware of any recent development. “I’ve been in Odisha for the last one month for my elections. If there is any recent development, I am not aware,” said Singhdeo.
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