The Hindu : Sport : Humble achievers

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 20, 2007
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Sport

Humble achievers

A. Joseph Antony

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

MEN WITH MISSION: Col. Ivor James Peoples, Commanding Officer, AMU and Major Surya Veer Singh Rajvee, India’s shooting team captain, pose for lensmen.

Hyderabad: If a tree is known by its fruit, the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) would stand strained under the sheer weight of its accomplishments.

Celebration of the Indian team’s silver medal achievement on Wednesday in the men’s team 25-metre centre fire pistol of the ongoing Military World Games at Hyderabad was quite low-key. That may be so because winning has become a habit for many of its marksmen. The shutterbugs present on the occasion had to more than hint to the crackshot quartet of Vijay Kumar, Hambir Singh, C.K. Choudhary and Pemba Tamang to flash the ‘V’ sign.

There were no yelps of delight or any clever wisecracks for the media. Just a Kiplinesque calm, that treats the heady heights of triumph or the dreary depths of defeat equally, prevailed among the fabulous four that had taken the country to the second place in a large field of elite shooting nations in an event most military in discipline.

There was no bragging or back-thumping in light of the fact that the Indian squad had eclipsed shooting super powers such as Korea and Russia, the latter having the legendary Olympic gold medallist and World Championship winner Mikhail Nestruev in its line-up.

Driving force

Just as weapons are forged under the gun-smith’s hammer, all the Indian shooters here have been moulded mostly by and at the AMU.

Much of the credit goes to Col. Ivor James Peoples, the AMU’s Commanding Officer and Major Surya Veer Singh Rajvee, the team’s non-playing captain and the driving force behind his men’s and women’s squads, both inside and outside the ranges.

Occupying pride of place among those to pass through the institution’s portals is Lt. Col. Rajyvardhan Singh Rathore. Based at the Military Headquarters of War (MHOW), the AMU has world class facilities that include a 10- metre range of 60 lanes, a 25m pistol range with five bays, a 50m range with 60 lanes, two trap and skeet ranges, a health centre, accommodation for 250 shooters and an office complex.

Modelled on the United States AMU, the Indian version was raised in 1993 as part of Mission Olympics, the Indian armed forces’ quest for Olympic glory.

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