CHENNAI: At the age of 14, Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar had to move away from his family in his bid to pursue his passion for shooting. The 300-plus km journey he undertook from Khargone to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh nine years ago has been paying off as Tomar is set to represent the country at the Paris Olympics, his second appearance in the Games, in the men's 50m rifle 3 positions.
An established shooter now with medals in junior and senior World Championships apart from World Cups and Asian Championships, Tomar understands the pains an athlete goes through in order to achieve his/her goals. While it all is part and parcel of the game, he decided to alleviate the pain to some extent for aspiring shooters of his town by opening an academy in Khargone. He not only spent around Rs 6-7 lakh to buy weapons for the purpose but also donated training gear including shooting jackets and trousers to the academy started at his alma mater around one-and-a-half-years ago.
"I have studied in that school. I had to leave my family and friends to pursue my passion so I thought why not start a facility in Khargone for those who are interested in shooting? So I along with my cousin, Navdeep Singh Rathore — also an international shooter — set up a 10m range in the school. I bought weapons worth Rs 5-6 lakh and donated my shooting clothing as well," Aishwary told TNIE.
Aishwary makes sure he visits the place every time he is in the town. "A full-time coach is imparting the training. He coordinates with us on a daily basis. I also visit the facility whenever I am in town. I interact with trainees and try my best to motivate them and clear their doubts."
Presently, around 30-40 children are being trained at the facility. While students are being trained during school hours, other aspirants too can use the facility later in the day. "The move was also aimed at popularising the sport. The school director is a sports enthusiast and he paved the way for setting up the academy. I have been winning medals for the country for years now with newspapers carrying the stories with my pictures but people in Khargone were still unaware of the sport. At least, they now know there is a shooting academy in the district where those interested can get the basic training."
The Indian shooting contingent reached Luxembourg ahead of the 2024 Paris Games and Tomar is confident ahead of his event. "The preparations are better than the Tokyo Olympics. The last Games was the learning curve and it has helped me improve a lot. I have worked on delivering my best during pressure situations. I have also worked on breathing exercises and mindset. Whatever we have to do, we are done with it. Now we will train normally and avoid experimenting with new things," he said.
Instead of looking at his rivals and what they can bring to the table in Paris, the Indian shooter is banking on his game and the efforts he has made in the last couple of years. "Shooting is an individual sport, so I am focussing on my game irrespective of what my rivals will do. It doesn't matter how good or bad they are. What matters is my show on a given day and I have worked on that."
Compatriot Swapnil Kusale will be one of his rivals at the Games and Aishwary strongly believes the healthy competition between the duo has motivated him to do better. "I have been training alongside him (Kusale) for quite some time now. We are rivals once we enter the shooting range. Apart from that, we always enjoy each other's success. He is like an elder brother to me who is by my side whenever I don't do well."
He might not have achieved the desired results at the Tokyo Games but Aishwary is determined to give his best this time around. "I will try to give my best and expect our shooting contingent to win a bagful of medals for the country at the event," Aishwary signed off.
