Though Jonathan Gavin Antony craves non-vegetarian dishes, especially chicken biryani, he switches to a vegetarian diet seven days before an important competition to stay sharp and competition-ready

Navneet Singh

Diet is crucial to an athlete’s performance. It helps calm nerves, improves focus, and keeps the body competition-ready.

Newly crowned junior Asian 10m air pistol champion Jonathan Gavin Antony follows a comprehensive diet plan that begins a week before competitions, helping him stay alert and focused during the high-voltage 24-shot final, says his mother Ancy Alphonse.

Vegetarian diet

“A week before the competition, Antony switches to a vegetarian diet, even though he craves chicken biryani,” Ancy told Sportsbackstory.com.

Having vegetarian or non-vegetarian meals may be an individual preference, but the diet chart planned for Jonathan has proved highly beneficial, says Ancy. “We also cut down on sweets. Too much sugar in the bloodstream can sometimes blur vision and add pressure. That’s why we try to incorporate what works best for him,” she says.

Dietary changes

The drastic dietary changes in the final week before a competition are aimed at keeping him nimble and alert. “Antony craves chicken biryani and wouldn’t mind enjoying it even in the middle of the night,” his mother adds in a lighter vein.

Milk and eggs feature in his daily menu, and his last meal on competition day is taken roughly three hours before the event. “The diet plan is good enough to supply energy during the hour-long preliminary round match in the 10m air pistol,” says Ancy.

Ancy travels with Antony for competitions and takes care of his dietary needs. Antony showed remarkable resilience in the 10m air pistol men’s junior final.

High pressure final

On Wednesday, at Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, the Bengaluru-based pistol shooter was a picture of intense concentration during the high-pressure final.

Jonathan was a bit upset with his qualification score of 578, though he still made the cut for the eight-shooter final in second place. The 16-year-old, however, produced a brilliant performance to win the final with a score of 240.9, finishing well ahead of Kyrgyzstan’s Imandos Bektenov (236.7).

Senior group

The 2026 Asian Championship was his last competition in the junior category. He will now graduate to the senior level and is hopeful of making a similar impact at the elite international stage.

Jonathan had also won an individual bronze in the 10m air pistol junior event at the Asian Championships in Shymkent last year. At the ISSF Junior World Cup in Delhi last year, he clinched gold after posting an impressive qualification score of 586 in qualification and 244.8 in the final.

ISSF World Cup

A strong performance in the upcoming ISSF World Cup will be crucial for Jonathan as he eyes a spot in the Asian Games squad. Antony, too, has the Asian Games firmly on his mind.

“I have to stay focused and keep working consistently,” Antony told Sportsbackstory.com after winning gold on Wednesday.

ENDS