NEW DELHI: Returning to high-flying shooting after a long sabbatical, Olympic silver medalist Vijay Kumar thinks athletes could ‘forget the ABCD of sport’ if they stay away from the action for three or four years.
London games Incidentally, silver medalist pistol shooter Kumar had taken a long break from shooting to focus on his career in the Himachal Pradesh Police Force. This included intense academic training, field training, and frontier training, occupying most of his time and attention.
It was only last year that he returned to the sport, hoping to dominate it once again.
“Spending time outdoors was not a big deal since I was getting job security. It’s also not a big deal to start the sport over again,” he said.
He did, however, acknowledge that the muscle memory accumulated over many years as a sports shooter was lost during police training.
“Technique is decided by lot. If you don’t train and compete for three or four years, you forget the basics, the ABCD of sport. When you return to the highest level, you realize that we almost forgot how to play,” he lamented.
Kumar has a clear goal in mind for the next National Games: imitating his own harvest of five gold medals and one bronze during the 2015 edition in Thiruvananthapuram.
The next edition starts in Ahmedabad on September 29.
“That (performance) is a thing of the past. I believe I can push myself more and even excel again at the Olympic level. That goal alone fueled my motivation,” the 2012 Olympic medalist said, revealing that he had been preparing for the Gujarat Games for over six months.
“I am happy that a year after my return to shooting I have reached my fourth National Games. I will try to perform well here before the World Championships,” said the 37-year-old.
The world championships will take place in Cairo from October 12.
“The competition at the National Games will be intense, as the top 16 shooters from each event will be there. We have all been on the circuit, competing in the National Championships and Trials since November last year.
“Everyone made good scores and that will make the competition really absorbing,” Kumar said.
Pushed to remember his exploits in 2015, Kumar said being part of the services team for the National Games was an achievement in itself since excellent shooters from the army, air force and Marine were in the fray.
“It was special to beat so many of the best shooters in the country to win five gold medals at the 2015 Games. Yeah, that’s part of my best home effort,” he said.
He appeared in Services at the last three National Games in Guwahati (2007), Ranchi (2011) and Thiruvananthapuram (2015), but he will now wear the colors of Himachal Pradesh.
“There is no difference in how I view competition, although I am representing my state now. I will, as always, try to perform at my best,” the deputy superintendent of police said.
London games Incidentally, silver medalist pistol shooter Kumar had taken a long break from shooting to focus on his career in the Himachal Pradesh Police Force. This included intense academic training, field training, and frontier training, occupying most of his time and attention.
It was only last year that he returned to the sport, hoping to dominate it once again.
“Spending time outdoors was not a big deal since I was getting job security. It’s also not a big deal to start the sport over again,” he said.
He did, however, acknowledge that the muscle memory accumulated over many years as a sports shooter was lost during police training.
“Technique is decided by lot. If you don’t train and compete for three or four years, you forget the basics, the ABCD of sport. When you return to the highest level, you realize that we almost forgot how to play,” he lamented.
Kumar has a clear goal in mind for the next National Games: imitating his own harvest of five gold medals and one bronze during the 2015 edition in Thiruvananthapuram.
The next edition starts in Ahmedabad on September 29.
“That (performance) is a thing of the past. I believe I can push myself more and even excel again at the Olympic level. That goal alone fueled my motivation,” the 2012 Olympic medalist said, revealing that he had been preparing for the Gujarat Games for over six months.
“I am happy that a year after my return to shooting I have reached my fourth National Games. I will try to perform well here before the World Championships,” said the 37-year-old.
The world championships will take place in Cairo from October 12.
“The competition at the National Games will be intense, as the top 16 shooters from each event will be there. We have all been on the circuit, competing in the National Championships and Trials since November last year.
“Everyone made good scores and that will make the competition really absorbing,” Kumar said.
Pushed to remember his exploits in 2015, Kumar said being part of the services team for the National Games was an achievement in itself since excellent shooters from the army, air force and Marine were in the fray.
“It was special to beat so many of the best shooters in the country to win five gold medals at the 2015 Games. Yeah, that’s part of my best home effort,” he said.
He appeared in Services at the last three National Games in Guwahati (2007), Ranchi (2011) and Thiruvananthapuram (2015), but he will now wear the colors of Himachal Pradesh.
“There is no difference in how I view competition, although I am representing my state now. I will, as always, try to perform at my best,” the deputy superintendent of police said.