Sandhu stays focused

The Indian shooting contingent for London Olympics is a heavyweight one with the likes of Gagan Narang, Sanjeev Rajput, Imran Hassan Khan and Manavjit Singh Sandhu. The 35-year-old Sandhu, who bagged a gold at the Asian Shooting Championships in Doha recently to earn a ticket to the Games, was all concentration when Gulf News caught up with him at the Karni Shooting Range near Tughlaqabad Fort here. The Shooting Range is a drive down a narrow tree-lined lane. It's a pleasant sight to see some of India's well-known shooters practising both trap. Played out in the open, trap is a sport that needs continuous training with shooters having to perform in natural light and brave adverse weather conditions. "I am trying to build my challenge for the ultimate assault and have my eyes set on the prestigious Olympic Gold," he says. On the Doha experience, he said: "I would consider it the most challenging tournament I have participated in so far. The winds reached 50-60 kilometres an hour, but I was very focused and determined and knew I had to cope with the weather. I think my aggressive frame of mind paid off." "Other than that, I would rate the 2006 World Championship and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as the most difficult events. Also, during the 1998 Commonwealth Games, there was such torrential rainfall and our empties were swimming while we were standing and shooting from about four inches of water. "One learns to handle the weapon in all times. Thankfully, the guns are such that they perform at all times and do not get jammed. Moreover, when I shoot, external factors do not matter much. I just focus fully on my shooting and hope the result will match my effort," he added. In a normal routine, Sandhu practises 150 targets in two days and shoots at least 145 birds whizzing through the air at more than 150 kilometres per hour. Asked how he determines a good or a bad day, the shooter said, "By the score I make." Sandhu does not feel his day is ruined if shots don't hit their target. He does not take it personally. "In shooting, it's not possible to keep performing the same way everyday. If some day things do not work out fine, one cannot do anything. "Shooting is a very personal sport where you are fighting with your own self. Unlike other sports where you have an opponent, here it is your negative feelings and your own lack of form that you have to conquer," he explains. An insight into the making of a champion revealed that guns were very much a part of Sandhu's family. Factfile Manavjit Sandhu -    Sandhu was born to mother Neeta and father Gurbir Singh on November 3, 1976, in Chandigarh, Punjab. -    Studied at Lawrence School, Sanawar, Dehradun in Uttarakhand followed by Delhi Public School, New Delhi. -    Graduated from University of Delhi in 1997.