CHENNAI: Pistol ace Anish Bhanwala is someone who can be considered an apt student of the game. When he's not actively shooting, the 23-year-old follows it very closely and his child-like eagerness to learn is infectious. The shooter from Karnal, Haryana has been following some of the legends of the sport for some time and he continues to watch some of sport's elite with high enthusiasm.
Anish started training his guns against some of the world's best shooters when he was just a teenager. Just days before his 16th birthday, he had lined up alongside some of the world's best during the 2018 Asian Games. With his boyish charm and raw talent, he had the energy to cause an upset or two during those years. Seven years on, Anish has transformed into a young man. A man with steely determination. That is apparent when he tries to break down his journey so far. That maturity has transformed his shooting too. He recently returned with three consecutive hits — Asian Championships silver, World Championships silver and World Cup Final silver. It was a chain reaction of sorts. One thing leading to another. First it was the Asian Championships, which had instilled that confidence in him.
"My performance during the finals of the Asian Championships was quite strong. I had 35 hits out of 40, which is my best performance ever, especially at the international level. That lifted my confidence quite a bit. That is the confidence you can only earn by winning. You can have plenty of plans, you want to do this, you want to do that but things do not work like that," Anish recalled.
"The build-up to the World Championships got even better. I was working with coach Harpreet Singh and that because of that confidence, I could deliver during the World Championships qualification (585), which is also a really good score for me," he added.
A sport that is considered to be highly technical, where the margins for error is minimal, the rapid fire pistol specialist felt the comfort zone that he obtained after changing his grip in the Summer is also one of the main reasons behind his success. "One thing is I got a new grip after the Munich World Cup. Soon after returning, I shot good scores in a domestic competition in Dehradun and then I went to Germany, I shot 590 twice (590 and 591) and won a medal in the finals. All the top shooters from Europe were participating. I had trust in my equipment that things are good and it was all about how I manage myself and prepare. There were no question marks. I had no doubts in regards to anything in my mind."
Naturally, Anish's confidence level is edging close to its peak. Having raised his personal bar, Anish, who skipped the ongoing national meet, wants more in the days to come.
"These things (recent run) give you confidence. Before the recent run of results, something or the other was missing in my game. Since 2017, I had started 590s and it had been just a few years since I had taken up rapid fire. This was much-needed. Even during the Paris Olympics, that was the takeaway. I had shot a decent score then. I was happy. That confidence helped me in 2025 and I hope to carry forward the momentum in 2026."
Having been part of high-level competitions since a very young age, Anish's talent was never in doubt but given the pressure of expectations, he had struggled to meet the standards, especially in high-stakes events. He admitted as much, a clear sign of humility and willingness to grow. "Moreover, winning medals consistently also adds responsibility. It adds a little bit of expectation. I have to manage that. To continue the medal run and to fulfil that responsibility, hard work is the only way out. I have to continue to add to my game a little bit more, there's always room for improvement. I'm already totally invested, I'm giving my best, training is tip-top. Every year with age, I'm becoming a little bit mature, learning bits and pieces here and then. In the same manner, I'll continue to learn. I'm very confident that if I continue to remain patient, I'll be a better shooter in the future."
Consistency is the king when it comes to sports at the elite level. Anish, acknowledging his past shortcomings, felt that is one of his foremost things in his mind. "Over the years, what I have realised is shooting demands consistency from you. The sport seeks stability in terms of scores. Second thing, where you perform is what matters. It is at the big stage. These two things are where I was lacking before. I don't have to say this myself, the numbers speak for themselves. That was a bit of an issue. Say it mental strength, maturity (lack of), your perspective towards the sport — whether you're chasing medals or looking to improve day by day, that keeps evolving over time with the guidance of coaches, seniors, foreign coaches or even coaches from other national teams. Having known coaches (other teams) for so many years, they tend to give you tips post competitions. I take it very seriously. Those ideas, after trial runs over and over again, and after finding the right equipment (like I have now), I have started getting the results. This is how it is."
Apart from the obvious — training, hard work, etc — he also monitors some of the sport's best . That readiness to watch and learn has only added to his overall growth. "I follow legends of my discipline, follow them. I don't try to copy them but I try to get ideas from them, the way they operate, their coordination, they are like artists.
"I used to watch a lot of clips on Youtube, since the start of my career. Ralf Schumann and Christian Reitz were two of my favourite shooters. I also like watching Li Yuehong, the 2024 Olympic champ. Clement Bessaguet of France is also very strong, technically very sound. The control he has with his weapon is very good. Then I started getting exposure since 2017. I used to observe them closely during competitions and then gradually, post Tokyo Olympics, I started interacting with them and now I'm in a good comfort zone."
It is also an act that gives him perspective and keeps him grounded. "When I'm not shooting, I follow the sport quite a lot. I watch all the World Cups, all the other events, especially the pistol and rifle events. It's not just the present but the historic results etc. Some of them have won countless medals. Watching them I feel I have done nothing. They boast Olympic medals, countless World Cup medals...Whereas not many shooters from India have more than five individual World Cup medals while there are four World Cups in a year. Some of the greats hold 40, 45 medals (individual). Seeing them, I get motivated."
This phase of his career could be start of a fresh chapter for boy-turned man, who has constantly improved with time. That hunger and desire to learn and evolve could help him maintain the trend in the days to come.