Fresh ammo

He is a quiet person, who lets his weapon do the talking. 8220;I don8217;t shoot too much from the mouth,8221; says Sanjeev Rajput.
And like Avneet8217;s, his rise has been dramatic. Rajput joined Navy in 1999 after completing Standard 12, and started shooting only in 2001 as part of his training. The same year, he took part in the GV Mavlankar Shooting Championship in Asansol. Six years later, he won India8217;s first-ever Olympic quota in the men8217;s 50m rifle three position event by finishing tenth at ISSF World Cup in Atlanta in April 2007 where he fired 1170/1200.
8220;I was scoring high at that time, at par with the international standard, so I knew I had a chance to win quota. But there was no pressure. What probably worked to my advantage was that I wasn8217;t a known face. So there wasn8217;t any pressure. But now they know me,8221; said Sanjeev.
So is there pressure on him now? 8220;I don8217;t know how I will react at the Olympics. But as of now I don8217;t think much about Olympics. I believe that if I have the calibre to go to Olympics, I have it in me to prove it there also,8221; said the 27-year old.
Back home in the Yamuna Nagar district of Haryana, Rajput has become a known face. 8220;People there now know that I do shooting. It feels good to know that the entire nation is looking at you. But that brings responsibility. If I don8217;t do well, what will the youngsters who are taking up the sport think?8221; he asked.
His father Kishanlal Rajput too is surprised by the rapid rise. 8220;We never thought our son would become so big. It seems like a play being enacted on stage. Now people in our town come to congratulate us. The kids here want to follow Sanjeev8217;s footsteps,8221; he said. 8220;We have high expectation from him now. We all want him to win gold at the Olympics,8221; senior Rajput added.
As a kid, he never thought shooting would bring him so much recognition. 8220;It feels at times that I8217;m in another world. But I8217;m very much aware of the reality. Now my aim is to do better and improve my performance,8221; said Sanjeev. Rajput feels the facilities in the country need to be upgraded to match international standards. 8220;We are not used to windy conditions. You don8217;t get to see mirage forming in our domestic ranges. So we need better facilities,8221; said Sanjeev.
The rifleman is currently gathering information about conditions in China, particularly in the month of August. 8220;I8217;m doing it so that I get a fair idea about the climate. When I shoot, I basically try to assess the range and myself, till what point can I score in existing situations,8221; said Sanjeev.
The shooter is also working to improve his scoring in the kneeling position. 8220;I have to make it stronger so that I can attain 390 as an average score. Now I am touching 385. I8217;m putting in plenty of effort,8221; said Sanjeev.
But ask him about his preparations for the Beijing Olympics and lines form on his forehead. 8220;There should be specific programme for Olympics. We haven8217;t started anything like that yet. Other countries start at least a year in advance. Now we are left with just eight months. So you know.8221;
8220;But we have the potential to do it there,8221; he adds.

Empowerment for woman in the land of female foeticide
Avneet Kaur Sidhu

For her, the story unfolded like a fairytale. Like any other girl, she had an ambition. Though, it was not to become an Olympian shooter but to crack the Civil Services. She was in first year of college in Badal, Punjab, when Prakash Singh Badal built a shooting range there. A demonstration was organised at her college, and Avneet, then 20, got hooked. 8220;I was very studious. I was thinking of joining the Civil Services. I never thought I would get into sports. But after the demonstration, I just tried my hand at shooting, and then gradually I became serious about it as I was doing well,8221; she said.
It was the beginning of a journey that would culminate into an Olympic quota in just six years. And by now her trophy cabinet is stocked with 40 medals, won in various national and international events. 8220;Looking back, I can8217;t believe this. It8217;s been like a dream,8221; says the 26-year-old.
But taking up shooting as a career was not easy for her. She hails from Bhatinda in Punjab, a village not quite known for women8217;s empowerment. Bhatinda is a dateline that is associated with female foeticide stories.
8220;Luckily, I never faced any discrimination. My parents and family members were very supportive,8221; she says. But nosy neighbours did speak in conspiratorial tones about the girl with a weapon in hand. 8220;They would come and try to persuade my parents to stop me from shooting. But thankfully my parents never listened to them,8221; she said.
But along with Avneet8217;s medal count, attitude towards the sport and women in general changed in Bhatinda. She now happens to be a role model in her village. 8220;People there now give my example. They look up to me. They want their daughters to take up shooting. It feels good. But I tell myself I am not a superstar. I8217;m an ordinary girl from an ordinary village. And I will remain one,8221; says the daughter of a landlord.
Speaking to her father Amrit Pal Singh, one learns more about the social change in Bhatinda. 8220;We are proud of Avneet. She made our family, state and India proud. Shooting has become very popular here now. About 100 girls in the village are now into the sport. Even girls in our family have realised that studies is not the only thing, sports is also a vast field and one can excel in it also. We want other girls from the village to make their mark,8221; said Avneet8217;s father Amrit Pal.
Recognition has made her more responsible. She is aware of the expectations from her. 8220;Yes, I feel more responsible now though I try to keep myself detached from what people say. Friends and relatives ask me to win gold at the Olympics. They think it8217;s very easy. I try to keep my focus intact and don8217;t let such thoughts creep into my mind. I never allow the attention to affect my game. I wake up every day and tell myself that I have to keep my focus,8221; said Avneet, who did her masters in English literature.
Avneet booked her Beijing berth when she finished eighth, hitting 397/400, in the 10m air-rifle women8217;s event of the ISSF Shooting Championships in Zagreb, Croatia, in July 2006. 8220;It has been the most defining moment of my career so far,8221; she said.
She did not start her match well in Zagreb, but held on to her nerves to make a comeback and win a quota. 8220;It was the last competition in 2006 to win a quota. There were five quota places. And since my Melbourne Commonwealth Games performance, expectations from me had risen to get a quota for India, so there was pressure. But I knew I had it in me to get it,8221; she said.
Avneet started harbouring the Olympic dream since 2004 when she started very keenly watching her idol Anjali Bhagwat. 8220;When I started shooting I didn8217;t know anything about it. I started reading about shooting. I began to like Anjali. She became my idol. In 2004, I went back to my home from college to see her perform in Athens. It was then I started dreaming of becoming an Olympian. And now I will be going to the Olympics with her. It8217;s an amazing feeling,8221; said Avneet.
Not just that. There is an outside chance of Avneet participating in three-position for women along with Bhagwat. 8220;We may field Avneet also for that. But we don8217;t want to do that at the cost of her performance in the air-rifle. We want her to concentrate on air-rifle. We will take a call after a 45-day preparatory camp in Sydney beginning in February,8221; said national coach Sunny Thomas.
Avneet got the first feel of the media glare at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006 where she won individual silver and team gold. 8220;It gave me confidence. I learnt then that I could perform under pressure. I was new on the circuit then, so even my teammates were a little nervous,8221; she said.
But after the high of 2006, 2007 did not go too well for her. 8220;Yes, 2007 wasn8217;t good for me. I guess complacency crept in. But because I didn8217;t do well last year, I am hungry for success now.8221;
So what can we expect from her at the Olympics? 8220;A medal will definitely come,8221; said her father. But Avneet is more realistic. 8220;Anything can happen. I know how to shoot 10, but I have to repeat it 40 times. I have to be mentally prepared for that. I do a lot of mental training. I go through match situations mentally. What I know is I will fight till the end, will not quit halfway through,8221; she signs off.