One of India's finest exponents of trap shooting, former world champion Manavjit Singh Sandhu is hoping to be fourth time lucky and says he is experienced enough to "peak at the right time" in the upcoming Rio Olympic Games. The quadrennial sporting extravaganza begins on August 5 in Rio de Janiero, the Brazilian carnival city known for its beaches and infused with the sounds of samba.
The 39-year Manavjit, a former world number one in trap shooting, will be competing in his fourth Olympics, and says the experience gained in all these years will keep him in good stead when he lines up to shoot at the shotgun range. "Being my fourth Games, I feel I am experienced enough to prepare well and be able to peak at the right time. I am in good form and feel I am well prepared," Manavjit, a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Awardee, told PTI in an interview.
He is so reliable that National Rifle Association of India president Raninder Singh says his expectations from Manavjit are "sky high". "Manav is one of the best trap shooters in the world and it is a surprise that he does not have an Olympic medal already, having won all there is to win in shooting including the crown that shooters most seek - the World Championship gold.
"Our expectations from him at Rio are sky-high and his experience should be an asset at a penultimate event such as the Olympics," Raninder said. However, the unassuming marksman from Firozpur, Punjab is not under any sort of pressure, rather the expectations, he says, add to the motivation. "Pressure is part and parcel of the Games and the responsibility of being a member of the Indian shooting squad adds a degree of motivation," Manavjit, who was the first Indian shooter to be crowned world champion, said.
Asked if beating multiple Olympic medallist Michael Diamond to the gold medal in a ISSF World Cup two years ago, would add to his confidence, the shooter responded in positive. He also won a bronze in March last year in the Mexico World Cup, before recording high scores consistently in the NRAI selection trials to secure a place in the Indian shooting squad for Rio Games. "For sure, victories are very important as experience of winning is extremely helpful. Having shot high scores in the past is beneficial in maintaining confidence which will be required," said Manavjit, whose first memory of Olympic Games was legendary American athlete Ben Johnson's exploits at the 1988 Games in Seoul.
Manavjit is confident India can better the two medals at the London Games four years ago. "Yes, very much on the cards. We can do it," said Manavjit, who won the gold medal at the ISSF World Championship in Zagreb, Croatia, in 2006. Conditions are expected to be windy at the outdoor shotgun ranges in Rio, but Manavjit, who is also a multiple-time Asian Games and Commonwealth Games medallist, did not read too much into the external factors.
"It will be the same for all. I have shot in windy conditions before."
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