Cool & calculated, his work ethics stood out
Igo back to 1996 when a young boy in a shimmering Merc came to the Karni Singh shooting range. My first impression was that of another rich brat who just wanted to play with guns. Little did I know then that the 14-year-old would be my toughest competitor — and a friend — in the next couple of months!
As an air rifle shooter, I happened to share the podium with Abhinav on many occasions. My first competition alongside Abhinav was the 1997 National Championship in Delhi. Abhinav shot 568 to win gold. I managed silver with 564. From 1996 to 2000, we were a core group of about five shooters who dominated the scene.
Abhinav then opted to train abroad. Our next competition was the 2000 Nationals at Phillaur. He made us look like novices. He had 590-plus scores. We could barely manage 570-580.
He is a man of few words and this trait goes against him. People say he is snobbish. But actually he is a warm guy. There is one incident I fondly remember. We participated in the Masters meet in Mumbai (1999), where I won silver and he — what else — gold. The winner got ~5,000 and the runner-up ~3,000. The envelopes got swapped. He first congratulated me and then asked for his envelope. That showed he valued his achievement, however small it was.
During a camp in Bangalore he had advised me to buy a new rifle with better technology, which I did as he was updated of the new equipment available. He is very helpful and likes to share his knowledge and experience with others.
We shot again at the World Cup in Korea (2003). On the morning of the match we met in the hotel lobby. The first question from him was if I had enough sleep to which I replied only three hours. I threw back the question to him and his reply was none. He has a good sense of humour and can make tense situations light.
We didn’t want to waste time waiting for the official transport so we decided to take the cab. Abhinav is a great one to make his own system of things to achieve better results. I thought it was a free ride but on arrival at the range he quickly calculated and asked each one to pool in their share. He likes to keep things simple and straight. He talks straight just like he shoots straight.
In the match he shot a 596/600 and missed bronze by 0.1 point but was, as usual, very cool about it. I felt bad he had missed a medal by the slimmest possible margin but he was quick to pack up and head to the hotel.
Abhinav never liked wasting time at the range. When he would not shoot he moved out quickly. He has been the most disciplined and hard working shooter I have come across. At national camps, he would reach earlier than the reporting time. His name would always be on top in the entry register. Such was his discipline that even officials had to raise their standard when Abhinav was around. He commanded respect from all. While others at the range, in order to be in the good books, would touch the feet of senior shooting officials, Abhinav would address them as Mr or Mrs. He believed in letting his rifle do the talking.
During the 2004 Athens Olympics, he was in great form but was unlucky to get the firing point which had a faulty floor. That cost him a medal. Abhinav fought a crippling back problem to create history by becoming India’s first world champion in 2006 (Zagreb). How serious Abhinav’s back problem was could be gauged from the fact that he took a year-long break.
Coming into Beijing, did anyone know about his preparations? He was the tiger that slayed the dragon. Few shooters can claim to have clinched the World Championship and the Olympic gold before the age of 26. In Rio, Abhinav again showed the hunger to win. The tagline on his Twitter handle read “2016 Olympic medal wannabe”.
Abhinav, you lost the shoot-off but for me, you are better than the best. You are the greatest Olympian for India.