CHENNAI: Pemba Tamang has been practising his trade for 17 years! One can sense plenty of eagerness in his voice while chatting about it. Like all sportsperson, the India’s ace pistol shooter has his share of ups and downs. The Mhow-based (Indore) armyman has had golden runs in Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, teaming up with the likes of Vijay Kumar & Gurpreet Singh. But he also has had close misses in the national arena, where a golden mark had evaded him for six long years in his pet event 25m rapid fire. He recently ended his wait during the ongoing national championships being held at Dr Karni Shooting Range in New Delhi.
And this feat is something to celebrate about. “My coaches, support staff always had faith in me. This time they backed me to win the title 25m rapid fire pistol and I managed to do that. I’m happy with my performance,” the 36- year-old tells Express.
Asked why it has taken so long, Pemba says the level of competition has improved massively in recent years. “Now, there are a lot of fine shooters coming up. The competition is very tough.”
To keep oneself dedicated for long is no mean feat, specially in precision sport. Pemba has a healthy routine to keep himself in shape. “It’s been a long time. I have a very strict routine in the army. We do yoga early morning. Besides we have mental trainers who help us keep focus.”
Before he took up the sport, he admits he had no knowledge about shooting. “When I first heard the word shooting, I thought they were talking about films, shooting in films,” Pemba, who first took up the sport in 1999, recalls with a smirk.
Unlike other states which provide plenty of support to their atheletes, Pemba has had no support from his homeland Arunachal Pradesh, until recently.
“I can’t blame them. The mainstream media does not reach there. They are unaware of many of my feats. I have never had any support from them until recently. I recieved Rs 10 lakh from the government for my Asian Games feat just recently,” he reveals.
Looking ahead, Pemba is keen on building on his ‘lost & found’ gold. He is not in the running for the Olympic quota now, as he is not in the team for the qualifiers. But that is not a concern.
“If the likes of Jitu, Gurpreet can win medals and do well in international medals, why can’t I? We all come from the army, we have the same facilities. That is something which keeps me going. I also want to taste success like them. Until then, I’ll keep working hard,” Pemba says.
Talking about Jitu, he has high praise for his junior compatriot. “He is a good chap. He is highly disciplined. He deserves the success he has had in recent in years.”