Crowning of a new Shah

CHENNAI: Up against the cream of the sport for the first time, he finished with a gold medal around his neck and a world record mark. Any debutant would find it impossible to complain in such a scenario. But not pistol shooter Shahzar Rizvi.

Having beaten more-fancied teammate Jitu Rai in the ISSF World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, the 23-year-old young gun seemed surprisingly underwhelmed and felt that he could have done better. “I came here to win and I managed to achieve my target. I’m actually not that happy with the way I performed, especially in the qualifiers. But once I entered the finals, I knew I had a good chance with only a few shooters remaining. I did not want to let go of that opportunity,” Shahzar told Express from Guadalajara, after winning gold in 10m air pistol with a world record mark (242.3).

His assertion might seem straightforward, but he did feel some jitters en route victory. “It was a bit nervous of course, given that I was lining up against some of the best shooters in the business,” he conceded.
Amol Pratap Singh, the SAI coach, who helped Shahzar during his salad days with the sport had predicted big things from his ward. “He is attentive and a quick learner. He picked up the nuances of the sport much faster than other shooters who were training under me. Also, he has a really good temperament. He is not intimidated by big names. He has full faith in his abilities and he thrives under pressure,” Amol said.

The coach also revealed that Shahzar was crushed after his name was omitted for the Commonwealth Games. “He was downcast after he missed out on the CWG squad. I told him to maintain his focus and everything will fall into place.”

In the business for around 8-9 years, it was late last year where Shahzar announced himself to the world, capturing gold during the Commonwealth Shooting Championship in Brisbane. It was his father (a contractor), with the backing of Amol, who initiated Shahzar to the sport in 2009. Hailing from Mawana in Meerut district, he had to spend a lot of time traveling to learn shooting. “My father built a range at home. I used to practice there. Initially, they were not keen on me taking up the sport as they felt it would be difficult to make the cut.”

Earlier with the Army, he joined the Indian Air Force in 2014, a shift that has furthered his skills. “The Air Force has been of massive help. I have had access to all the facilities. I don’t have to worry about ammunition.”

Spurred by this outcome, Shahzar is determined to repeat the feat in future assignments. Past failures have made him stronger. “Earlier my target was 2016 Olympics and I could not make it there. Now, my target is 2020 Olympics and I want to go for gold there.”

anmol@newindianexpress.com