Unassuming shooter Sushil Ghaley fights against tide

KOCHI: After Sushil Ghaley pipped Gagan Narang for gold in 50m rifle prone in the 61st National Shooting Championship at Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, there wasn’t much celebration from the 37-year-old soldier of the Gorkha regiment. A handshake with rivals including Gagan and a pat on the shoulders by his army friends. That was it. He disappeared into the crowd. The next day he boarded a weekly train from Kochuveli station — almost seven kilometres away from the city centre-and proceeded to Mhow in Indore, where he will join the Army Marksmanship Unit on Sunday — after a 45-hour journey.

Akin to the near-to-anonymous stay in the host city and journey back home, Sushil will have to brace up for a gritty voyage in the coming days. His pet event — 50m rifle prone — in which he has acquired a sort of mastery over years won’t be there in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics if the organisers go by the recommendation of the international shooting body (ISSF). ISSF had recommended scrapping the event to include the 10m air pistol mixed event to ensure gender equality in shooting.

That means the Darjeeling native would have to either forego his Olympic dream in the event or switch to some other category.Sushil en route to his gold in the nationals had shot a national record mark of 249.6. This was his second consecutive gold in the nationals and going by the names he had defeated, the victory surely demanded a toast at least. But Sushil has a bigger job on his hands. He needs to regain his mastery over the 50m rifle 3 position event – the one he had last tried in 2013 – and 10m air rifle in which he is yet to make any serious foray.

“Prone was my special event and I could do well in that. But now the event may not be there in Olympics and I have to try my hands in rifle 3 position and 10m. But that won’t be as easy as it sounds. Rifle 3 position I last competed 4 years ago and 10m is more or less the same,” he said.

However, Sushil said the shift in events will happen only by 2018 late. “Before that, I will do prone in the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. There is a World Championship also coming after that and I am focussing on those now,” he said.

In order to make it to the squad for the above-mentioned events, Sushil needs to fare well in the trials to be held in Delhi next month. “My scores in the nationals are good. They (NRAI) will now add the scores I get in trials and the averages will be counted. The top four will get through. I am hopeful,” he added. 
 

shan.as@newindianexpress.com