CHENNAI: There is a sense of urgency in Mairaj Ahmad Khan's voice.
With major events including Asian Games lined up this year, the veteran skeet shooter knows time is of the essence and he has to invest it wisely in order to mount a challenge during those events. While the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) is in the process of appointing coaches and is exploring all the applications, Mairaj has already identified one for himself.
The first-ever skeet shooter from the country to make an Olympic appearance will be training with Riccardo Filippelli by his side and wants to continue with the Italian at least until the Paris Olympics.
"I need someone behind me. I'm experienced and people may assume that I don't need help but that's not the case. I had no coach behind me during the Tokyo Olympics and having Riccardo around is great. He is young but he is a proven shooter. Every athlete needs that support. Even some of the big athletes (in other sports) have that," Mairaj says.
Mairaj got a sample of the Italian's methods during the recently-held World Cup in Nicosia (Cyprus). The event was a quiet one for the shotgun shooters with the country returning with just one silver. However, for Mairaj, it was a step in the right direction after narrowly missing out in the qualification phase in two events. In testing conditions (close to 0 degrees and high wind speed), the 46-year-old finished 12th out of 103 shooters in the individual event and missed the semifinal cut by a whisker. With Areeba Khan in the mixed event, it was the same story.
That stint with Riccardo has solidified Mairaj's faith in the former. Riccardo, a former European champion, also struck a chord with some of the other skeet shooters during the trip and Mairaj said that they have suggested his name for a role in the national team. The Italian, on his part, has formally applied for the top post. "It was a great outing. Even young shooters like Areeba and Maheshwari Chauhan got the opportunity to get some input from him during the World Cup. Areeba, who is just 19, did quite well given her experience. In the mixed event, I pushed her as much as I could and she had an average score of 23 (out of 25 in three rounds of shooting). In the shoot-off, I missed a shot. But we were close. We have suggested his name (for coach's role) to the federation, let's see if they'll consider it."
The federation could have other preferences of course. "I will obviously respect the federation's choice. I will respect the national coach and try to learn as much as possible. But I'll not leave Riccardo. I'm looking to get his services until Paris Olympics."
Having spent some time at his hometown in Khurja, Mairaj will be returning to training from Thursday. A week or so later, he is hopeful that he can travel to Italy to take part in a local competition and undergo a 10-day training stint (under the TOPS scheme) before the Lonato World Cup, which is scheduled to be held from April 19 to 30. "I have requested a 10-day training programme near Florence. All I want is basic things like ammunition, coaching fee, stay, food and transport. In Europe, it is very expensive and it becomes difficult to bear the expenses. I have also informed the NRAI too," says the World No 12, who's hopeful of getting results in the near future and regaining TOPS support.
"Also, it's difficult to train in India right now because of the heat. If one wants to succeed, it's a necessity to train for long hours. Given the heat, we cannot train that long as we'll be sweating and there's a high chance of dehydration," the two-time Olympian adds.
Ranking points are worth gold for the shooters, especially in regards to Olympic qualification. Having pocketed 650 points in Nicosia, Mairaj is intent on getting more. With that in mind, he wants to be in a competitive environment before giving his best shot in the Italy World Cup. "I want to take part in an event in Italy before the World Cup. The World Cup will be held at the same range and the competition is going to be stiff. We have to try and compete in as many competitions (World Cups) as possible. The ranking points are crucial. There's a good chance of getting a quota through rankings as well," he signs off.