CHENNAI: Anish Bhanwala is in a happy space at the moment. The proficient pistol shooter from the country has elevated his game in the last one year or so. That lift in confidence was evident during the ongoing Olympic Shooting Trials (OST) as he put up some rich scores to practically seal a spot in the men's 25m rapid fire pistol team for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
With an average tally of 585.3 across four trials held at two venues (Delhi and Bhopal), Anish, who signed off with a second-place showing on the concluding day (T4 finals) on Tuesday, was well ahead of the rest of the pack. Vijayveer Sidhu, who topped the T4 finals at the MP Shooting Academy, finished a distant second in the overall tally.
"Everybody started from zero and we had to perform during the trials. It was a challenge for all and I'm happy that I was able to clear it. I'm happy with the scores that I put up. I'm thrilled that I'll be taking part in my first Olympics," Anish told this daily.
Anish made it look rather easy but this period of prosperity comes after setbacks. A former junior world champion, Anish's talent was undeniable. However, as is common with many budding athletes, he was finding it hard to translate his success at the junior level to the senior international level. Despite predominantly being India No 1 at the senior level, something was amiss in his game. The lack of concrete answers then had cost him the chance to be part of the Tokyo Olympics.
"In 2018, I was putting up decent scores to win medals in the Commonwealth Games. But in the all-important events like the World Championships, I was unable to cope with pressure. I was not able to translate the same results that I was showing in the junior events. I was also lacking maturity I guess," he reflected.
A meeting with Ralf Schumann, a three-time Olympic champion, has been a turning point in his career. In fact, he had trained under Schumann before the OST as well. "I visited him quite often and trained under him. That was quite an exposure for me. Thanks to TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), this was possible for me. I started working with Ralf in 2022 and gradually started getting the desired results."
Since the German has come on board, he has quite the medal haul — a first senior individual medal in Cairo (World Cup), a quota-winning bronze at the Asian Championships and the first Indian to medal at the ISSF World Cup final (in this event). Schumann's impact is clear as Anish racked up those results in his CV in 2023. "I don't have full-time training with him as we have a lot of competitions including the trials but I train with him whenever I get the chance," he said.
Anish's admiration for the legend of the sport was a given as he used to watch/re-watch his videos on YouTube. After meeting him, the Indian was eager to take in all the valuable gems from the German veteran. "I also learnt how to plan things, how to approach a competition, what to do after competition. He had a long career and those small inputs are also very valuable."
As far as technique goes, which is one of the key aspects in shooting, the 21-year-old from Karnal (Haryana) also learnt to keep things simple.
"Most of the shooters have a few different techniques in their locker. He was someone who stuck with one and applied the same for the whole year. I tried to adopt the same. I feel if we keep things simple, it's much better. I just look to stick to the basics."
Another person who has been just as immense to him is his personal coach Harpreet Singh, who was alongside him during the trials. "Even my coach in India has been a huge influence. He has been with me during the trails in Delhi and Bhopal. He knows me inside out and he has been one of the most important persons in my life."
Having had a steady build-up to the Olympics, Anish would be looking to maintain his rhythm and make a mark during the Games. "Now, the interesting part starts as we prepare for the Games," he noted.
The shooters are likely to have a camp in Paris before the Games. There is bound to be a high level of interest as the country is set to send a record number of participants during the Games.