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Calling all the shots
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Amit Sanghi aims for the Doha Asian Games
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PHOTO: K. RAMESH BABU
LOOKING AHEAD Amit Sanghi takes a cue from the World championship shooting meet in Zagreb
Hyderabad shooter Amit Sanghi could not attain his dream of meeting the Olympic quota mark at the World championship shooting meet in Zagreb, Croatia, recently but the experience he says will stand him in good stead for the future.
"It was raining heavily and shooting in pouring rain was something that I and some of my team mates were not used to," says Amit.
"During our practice sessions we had good weather in Hyderabad. I had checked the weather conditions in Zagreb before leaving Hyderabad. I was told that the temperature would be around 35 degrees centigrade accompanied by good sunshine and clear skies. But all of a sudden the weather turned really bad and we found that we had to shoot in heavy downpour," he says.
"The visibility was poor and the gun's stock and barrel were all the time wet and slippery. The stock kept slipping off that that hurt my scores. Also, we needed a different type of jacket to wear in the rain - the types that are specifically designed for shooting when it rains. I did not have this sort of a jacket.
Most of the European shooters had this type of jacket however. Clearly we Indian shooters have more to learn about performing under adverse weather conditions.
"Then when we walked on the turf, our shoes get all muddy and wet. That also distracts the mind and concentration - when one has to step into the shooting arena and one has to first wipe the mud and dirt off the shoes every time before taking aim.
"During the last World Cup in USA I was ranked 18th but now my performance slipped and I ended up 99th. But this was a valuable lesson that I learnt and now I will have to make sure that I train under different weather conditions and that I become used to shooting even in heavy downpour," explained Amit.
The World championship was one of the biggest shooting competitions featuring about 6000 shooters. The Hyderabad shooter's events were scheduled towards the end of the championship. Last year, Amit created a sensation of sorts by rising rapidly to be ranked World No. 44 within 16 months of serious training.
His personal coach Juan Giha feels that the coordination between brain and hands is the key to success.
For this one has to take care of simple subjects like diet, adequate rest and physical conditioning.
"My next aim is to do well in the Asian clay shooting championship which is to be held in Singapore and which will be a rehearsal for the Doha Asian Games.
If I do well there, it will help me to get into the right frame of mind for the bigger meets," says Amit.
ABHIJIT SEN GUPTA
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