Away from the buzz,a unique shooting event

Far away from the Games buzz and within the Central Reserve Police Force campus in Gurgaon,is situated the Kadarpur full bore shooting range.

Far away from the Games buzz and within the Central Reserve Police Force campus in Gurgaon,is situated the Kadarpur full bore shooting range. Sixty-kilometres away from the Games Village it is only the bright yellow signages which pop-up all of a sudden after a diversion from the IFFCO Chowk Metro Station which indicate the Commonwealth Games Lane leading to this venue.

After crossing a row of hawkers selling vegetable,roadside eateries and a small grocery store,the freshly laid asphalt road leading to the range runs out and gives way to a pot-hole filled track just metres after the main entrance. Once inside,it is clear that the Rs 25-crore plus spent on establishing the one-of-a-kind full bore range has transformed this piece of land at the foothills of the Aravallis.

Only a handful of spectators have gathered to watch what is essentially a colonial legacy. That the crowning glory is winning the Queens Prize speaks volumes about how this sport,which involves shooters staying in prone position and firing at targets between 300 yards and 1,000 yards,is intrinsic to countries that are part of the Commonwealth.

However,these shooters,including a 78-year-old veteran of five Games and a lady,the only one considered good enough to participate in this male-dominated sport at these Games,are not taking this as a lark. Full bore isnt featured in the Asian Games or the Olympics. So for this bunch there is no greater achievement than winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games.

These athletes wont get the coverage other champions at the Games receive but they wont be complaining. Since for them a medal is enough. The winners will be the greatest in the sport revered and respected. At Kadarpur,away from the buzz of the other showcase venues,over the next five days there will emerge full bore shooters who enter the pantheon of greats. There is nothing greater than winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games. Only the two best shooters from each country are fielded for these Games. So the best in the world are here. The United States and Germany do produce good shooters but the best in the world at the moment Ross McQuillan from Northern Ireland is here,as are some of the greatest full bore shooters. Each one of us wants the Commonwealth Games gold. That is what we train for and the reason why we are in this sport, Adam Jory,who represents Guernsey,said.

Nelson Simons is two years short of turning into an octogenarian. But that hasnt come in way of him being the top shooter from Bermuda since the 1994 Games in Victoria. I will continue being competitive unless,God forbid,my eyesight fails me. I reached the final once. Hopefully,I can win a medal before I call it a day. The beauty of full bore shooting is that if the mind is willing,the heart hungry for success and your eyesight doesnt fail you than you can compete at the highest level, Simons,dripping with sweat but enjoying every moment of the event after his Stage-I round,said.

Full bore is also a great leveler in the sense that there is no separate category for men and women. I am a trend-setter of sorts back home, Jennifer Jordan-Cousins from Barbados,the only woman in the fray,said. There isnt going to be too much publicity for this event and we are tucked away from the main city and away from all the buzz. But for me what matters is that I give these Games my best shot. The range here is wonderful and I have enjoyed shooting here, Jordan-Cousins added.

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Incidentally,India is making its maiden appearance in the full bore. The shooters Sushil Ghaley and Praveen Dahiya received their competition rifles only on September 26. The gunshots that echo and resound around the foothills of the Aravallis,as full bores Olympics post-lunch session gets underway at the Kadarpur shooting range,is the only sound that disturbs the calm here.