New Delhi, Sep 26: Having returned to top-flight shooting after a long sabbatical, Olympic silver medallist Vijay Kumar feels athletes could “forget the ABCD of sport” if they stay away from action for three-four years.
London Games silver medallist pistol shooter Kumar, incidentally, had taken a long break from shooting to focus on his career with the police in Himachal Pradesh. It included intense academic training, field training and border training, taking up time and attention.
It was only last year that he returned to the sport, hoping to dominate it one more time. “Spending time away was not a big deal since I was providing job security for myself. It is not a big deal, either, starting the sport from scratch,” he said.
He conceded, though that muscle memory built over many years as a sport shooter was lost during police training. “Technique goes for a toss. If one doesn’t train and compete for three or four years, one forgets the basics, the ABCD of sport. When you return at the highest level, you realise you have all but forgotten how to play.”
Kumar has a clear target in mind for the upcoming National Games: emulate his own five-gold, one-bronze medal haul during the 2015 edition in Thiruvananthapuram. The upcoming edition is starting in Ahmedabad on September 29.
“That (performance) is a thing of the past. I believe I can push myself more and can even excel at the Olympic level once again. That single goal has fuelled my motivation,” the 2012 Olympic medallist said, revealing that he has been preparing for the Gujarat Games for over six months.
“I am happy that within a year of my return to shooting, I have made it for my fourth National Games. I will try to perform well here ahead of the World Championships,” the 37-year-old said. (PTI)
