They are confident of landing medals in future

THE RETURN may just be a bronze medal, with Karnam Malleswari matching the effort of Leander Paes in Atlanta, but the overall performance of the Indian sportspersons in Sydney, has indeed been heart-warming.

Of course, there have been a few instances of heart-breaking experience, like when light-heavyweight Gurcharan Singh missed a medal in the last few seconds, and the Indian hockey team lost out on a semifinal appearance in the last two minutes of its league match against Poland.

The slips and the struggle against world class opposition notwithstanding - as in the case of Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi against the world No. 1 Mark Woodforde and Todd Woodbridge of Australia; P. Gopichand against world No. 2 Hendrawan of Indonesia; Jitender Kumar against world championship runner-up Adrian Diaconu of Romania - there is a clear indication of progress, and a better tomorrow.

It may be difficult to overcome the sense of disappointment right now, but the sportspersons have gathered enough points in Sydney to score their salvos in the near future.

The shooters, Anjali Vedpathak and Abhinav Bindra, who gave a flying start to the Indian challenge in the first Olympics of this millennium in finishing eighth and 11th in air rifle, are foremost in assuring us that they would be landing world class medals for sure in the next two years.

The 30-year-old Anjali, only the second Indian woman in history after P. T. Usha to make an Olympic final, had won the Commonwealth championship gold with a world class 398 out of 400. For one who had got the `hardship quota' barely three weeks before the Olympics, the Mumbai lass asserted her consistency by making the final in a classy field from among 49 competitors.

Shooting 394 out of 400 was not her best performance, as she had shot 396 in three World Cups and 395 in a Grand Prix and the Asian Championship, apart from the 398 in the Commonwealth Championship. Her 99.1 in the final was her lowest ever. She had shot a 104.4 in the SAF Games in Kathmandu in grabbing the gold with a total of 500.4. The gold in Sydney went at 497.7, a total she had bettered three times.

``It was a great experience to make the final at that level. Shooting in the Olympics was so different from competing in any other competition. I was confident in the preliminary round, as I had scored above 395 regularly. But in the final, I did not believe in myself. Maybe I was nervous because of the pressure. Yet, I am very happy to have maintained my consistency, when so many world class shooters failed to qualify for the final'', said Anjali, on her return from Sydney.

The Chinese Gao Jing who shot a 394 like Anjali in the preliminary round, bagged the bronze as she came up with the best score in the final with a 103.2.

The experience has taught Anjali a few things and the cheerful lady says that she would not forget them in a hurry.

``I have learnt a lot from the experience. I will be shooting much better in future. Abhinav and I discussed quite a lot, and are confident about capitalising on this exposure'', Anjali said.

Basically, the Indians need the confidence in their ability. Having got world class exposure over the last few months, Anjali and Abhinav, the studious students of the sport, had it in them to make it big in Sydney. They did fight their way up, but fell short of a medal, because their preparations have been just for about a year or so. You cannot win Olympic medals so easily.

``The Chinese and the Koreans get world class competition within their country itself. But we have to go out and gain experience. We did get a lot of tournaments and that is how I could do so well. We have the confidence now that we would be landing world medals soon'', said Anjali, a sub-inspector with the Central Industrial Security Force.

The 17-year-old Abhinav Bindra missed making the final by one point. It was a fantastic experience for the young shooter from Chandigarh to have withstood poor form in training apart from overcoming technical trouble in shooting a world class score.

``Realistically, it was not a goal for us to make the final or come close to that. But the performances of Anjali and Abhinav have made everyone happy. Anjali especially was very good, as she became the first Indian shooter to make an Olympic final'', said the Hungarian coach of the Indian team, Laszlo Szucsak, who has been diligently working with the rifle shooters from February last year, in making a dramatic improvement in their scores.

``Looking back I feel that I could have done a little better. But when I reached Sydney I had major problems. Every day the training was tough, and in 20 days I didn't touch a score of 590. Considering that, I was very very happy with my performance. It was a good score, not excellent. Had my form been good, I would have been disappointed with the total. It was the biggest event, and I had a lot to fight for'', said Abhinav, who switched to routine life, by attending college immediately on arrival from Sydney.

``Abhinav is a very bright talent. To be so close to the Olympic final, when you are not yet 18, is something. He was struggling with his weapon, but fought very well. He didn't like the cold atmosphere, but only a great shooter can fight the way that he did'', said Szucsak.

``It was a matter of one point to make the final. Once there, anything could have happened. The bronze went for a low score'', said Abhinav, as he pointed at the total of 693.8 with which Evgueni Aleinikov of Russia had taken the third place.

Abhinav had tallied 694 in winning the silver in the `Meeting of shooting hopes' in the Czech Republic, and compiled a 697.7 while finishing fourth in the World Cup in Munich in which he had shot a world junior record equalling 596 out of 600 in the preliminaries. The gold in Sydney went at 696.4.

``There is nothing that is beyond our reach. I did everything that was humanly possible. There was definitely no lack of effort. It was my best ever fought match. I started with a nine with my first shot, but recovered to shoot the 10s. The Olympics is something special, and I have learnt a lot of things. I now know that when things are not going well, it is still possible to shoot good scores. It was a big struggle for me during training and it was like torture to grapple with my form. But I didn't give up'', said Abhinav, as he reflected on the experience.

Coach Szucsak stressed that there was tremendous scope to improve further if only we upgraded our shooting range to world standards, and started shooting on electronic targets, apart from maintaining the good habit of competing regularly at the world level.

``I find it easier to shoot on paper targets. But no competition is shot on paper anymore. There is a world of difference between the two. When you shoot on electronic targets, you get to see the score immediately on the computer. In the competition you are focussed, but during training it is psychological to know the score with the knowledge that others are also following your performance'', said Abhinav.``We need to get used to the electronic target on a regular basis. The score keeps coming on the screen, and if you are not used to it, you tend to get disturbed and lose concentration'', said Anjali.

There is also the need for better quality ammunition, for the 50- metre events. ``We cannot afford to lose points on technical aspects. The administration has been good, and we are thankful to have had enough exposure before the Olympics. We are happy with the progress of the two talented shooters, but they are not alone. Maybe next year, the pistol shooters will make a mark, and then perhaps the shotgun shooters. It is important to sustain the hard work, irrespective of the results. India is a great storehouse of talent, and they are all motivated. If they see success, it will help them work harder'', said Szucsak.

Even as they are intensifying their focus on their pet events, there is an attempt to make Abhinav take up the 3-position event as well, to give him a change from the monotony of training in air-rifle all the time. The shooter himself is not too sure about the benefits, though he has firm belief in the methods of the coach.

``Of course, Anjali was not able to shoot well in her 3-position event. We need much more training to excel in this event. Worldwide shooters train in different events. Somebody may be a world champion in one event, but European champion in another. The variation is good, and one event helps the other'', said Szucsak.

``The coach wants me to take up that event. It will be tough in the first year, but 2002 is the focus for us. There will be the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the World Championship. It will be an interesting year'', said Abhinav.

Both Anjali and Abhinav may get a chance to compete in the World Cup finals this year, though the coach does not feel that it would be so important at this stage of their career.

``If I get the opportunity I will compete, but we are waiting to hear from the ISSF, as only the top eight apart from the Olympic medallists are eligible to compete. Some may pull out, and the Olympic medallists are already part of the top eight. There may be vacancies'', said Abhinav, quite keen not to miss a chance to compete with the best in the business.Anjali is quite realistic and says that she would be getting ready for the National championships in November, and follow it with her marriage in December. Obviously, she does not want to follow the path of another talented shooter Roopa Unnikrishnan, who has not been able to train and compete after marriage and a job in New York.

``The first clause for my marriage was that I would continue to shoot. There is so much more to achieve, and I am confident that we can have some good results'', said Anjali.

``I know that I am there. I need to be patient and train harder. We should be winning medals soon. It is time to take bigger steps'', said Abhinav, quite confident that he and the other leading shooters would not need wild cards but would qualify on their own merit for the next Olympics in Athens.

They were excited about their performance, but Anjali and Abhinav were overjoyed with the medal of Karnam Malleswari.

``We were all very happy, watching her win the medal on TV. We waited for her to return to the Games village for a long time, and when she came it was tremendous celebration. All of us congratulated her, and signed on a big balloon. With Malleswari's medal, I think there will be a significant change in the attitude of women towards sport'', said Anjali.Meanwhile, for the rifle shooters to continue on the right track, it is important to retain the services of Laszlo Szucsak, who has not only won the confidence of the shooters, but has helped them touch world standards within such a short period.

``My continuation depends on many things. If they are satisfied with my efforts and the results, they will be happy to extend my contract with a better deal'', said Szucsak, whose contract finished with the Olympics.

``I am very happy with him. He is one of the best coaches in the world. Indian rifle shooting owes a lot to him'', said Abhinav.It is important to sustain the momentum, and it requires a team effort. The point is not to break the vital cog in the wheel. Otherwise, we may end up beginning all over again. That has been the problem of Indian sport, beginning afresh every time. With Laszlo Szucsak to guide them, there is no reason to doubt Anjali Vedpathak and Abhinav Bindra making us proud, many times over.

KAMESH SRINIVASAN

New Delhi

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