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An officer, a marksman
Competitive shooting is not about aggression while wielding the weapon. To succeed, you need calm nerves, killer instinct and sharp reflexes, writes S Kannan.
Competitive shooting with a shotgun is not about aggression while wielding the weapon. To succeed, you need calm nerves, a killer instinct, sharp reflexes, and above all, a cool temperament.
At 34, Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has shown he has all these qualities, a thorough officer and gentleman. Indian shooting history has had its Maharajas — be it Late Karni Singh of Bikaner or Randhir Singh — compete at the Olympics and come back without a medal. For them, trap shooting was a passion and they had almost nothing else to do. All those who have seen "Chilly" train these last five years will vouch that he has not just the passion, but a burning desire to come good on the big stage.
Last August, when he was preparing for the World Championship in Nicosia, is still fresh in our minds. "I must win a medal and clinch an Olympic quota place," he told us. And he did that in style, winning bronze on September 16 and coming back home, not to celebrate but work even harder.
Few know that Rathore is a self-made shooter who took to the sport just five years ago, and became National champion. As one who has served the 9 Grenadiers on the battlefront, he could well have decided on furthering his career in the Army. But it was a conscious decision on his part to write to the authorities that he be based in Delhi so could train without interruption. And, that, at the cost of sacrificing promotions in the Army.
Not many would know that Rathore's first fling with the weapon was almost 30 years ago in Jodhpur. The young Raput shot 25 out of 25 in trap. His father wrote to Karni Singh for encouragement. No reply came.
Even in Delhi’s killing summer heat, Rathore could be seen at the Tughlaqabad ranges, toiling with a vision that few Indians have. He had almost no one to guide him. It's only in the last two years that Rathore had the chance to work with the top guns in the sport and keep learning how to get better. More importantly, he also learned how to make sure his head stayed on his shoulders.
For that, there was his wife. Gayatri, who put her career as an Army doctor on hold to lend support to Chilly, needs to be saluted for her huge contribution.
