For Abhishek Verma Shooting Was A Hobby At 25, At 29 He Is Now A World Champion

When the likes of Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary were splitting the bull's eye on target papers at shooting ranges in 2015, Abhishek Verma had committed himself to law books.

But in the same year, when he was 25 years old, he held an air pistol for the first time, as a new hobby, maybe out of his love for action movies. Four years on, the 29-year-old is a walking example of the saying: 'age is the last thing that matters in shooting'.

The once 'hobby shooter' now has an Asian Games bronze in one pocket and an ISSF World Cup gold in other. And if his scores stay where they are, or get better, the Tokyo Olympics beckon the lawyer-turned-shooter.

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A unique combination of a bachelors degree in technology, a degree in law and a sportsperson, Verma has set a trend that contrasts the one set by teenage sport shooters.

Be it his fellow 10m air pistol team-mate Saurabh, rifle prodigy Elavenil Valarivan or trap shooter Lakshay Sheoran, youngsters have ruled the roost of late. Amidst that, Verma, at the doorstep of his 30s, is creating a different space for himself.

With a gold in his second World Cup last month in Beijing, where he entered his maiden World Cup final, along with a personal best in qualifying (585) and an Olympic quota, Verma proved that his bronze at the Asiad in Palembang wasn't a fluke. In fact, it was well earned.

His gold-winning score of 242.7 in the final was as many as 2.3 points more than the silver medallist Artem Chernousov of Russia.

So in Beijing, he reiterated to himself his decision of turning his focus entirely to shooting when a lawyer's profession had almost become his choice. He moved to Gurgaon from Palwal in Haryana to train under his personal coach, Omender Singh, before going through the grind to earn an India call-up in 2018.

In Munich, in about a week from now, another challenge awaits him at the third rifle and pistol World Cup of the year. And though India have bagged the maximum of two Olympic quotas in the men's 10m air pistol event, Verma, in an interview with Timesofindia.com, said that he is not going to let his focus waver.

Excerpts from an interview...

So much success in such little time, how did you manage to pull it off?

It feels good, like I got a reward for my hard work very soon. It inspires me to work harder.

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Do you think you started a bit late, considering how teenagers are performing on the world stage lately?

For me, it's fine. I came to know about shooting only in 2015, and I started the next day itself. So that was not late for me (smiles). From that day on, I was very much interested and started preparing myself (to become a professional shooter), worked hard and got rewarded.

Did you surprise yourself with an Asian Games medal?

I never thought I would get selected for the Asian Games. I just wanted to give my best, and while doing that, I got selected. Then I went to the Asian Games. I never thought about winning a medal there. My focus there was to shoot as I shoot during practice and that should take care of the result. I did that and won a medal.

But surely, it's not a hobby anymore, as you called it after the Asiad?

After doing B.Tech, I was preparing for UPSC, civil services exams. That got me interested in the Constitution of India, so my mother advised me to do law and I completed it in 2017 with good marks. While I was in the first year of law, I started shooting. At that time, I started it as a hobby, like going to the range in the evenings.

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Was it difficult to balance your academic pursuits with shooting?

Studies, of course, was the preference at that point. Shooting, as I mentioned, was just a hobby, like for half an hour to an hour a day. I wasn't thinking about playing competitions. But when I started doing well in terms of scores, I thought of trying my luck by competing at shooting events. It so happened that in 2018, I made it to the national squad and the same year got selected in the playing team. So it became a responsibility (while representing the country), and I decided to shift my entire focus to the sport.

In a way, you are setting a different trend. While most teenagers are doing well for India, you started well into your 20s (at 25). Have you ever felt that age-difference while being with the likes of Saurabh and Manu at national camps and on tours?

If I compare them with myself, then we are all playing as seniors for India. Both of us (Saurabh and I) are playing at the same level and competing at same competitions. So that difference (in age) is never felt. There's a lot of difference in their maturity level compared to the kids of their age. So we are at the same level; in fact, I would rank them a little above me.

Have you ever experienced typical teen-like behaviour, which is natural for somebody who is 16-17, while practicing or on tours with your younger colleagues?

Those who are with me, they are just like me. Manu, Saurabh, Anish (Bhanwala), I -- we all have the same sleeping, eating and practice routines. We don't over-use phones; in fact, we don't keep phones with us mostly. It's not that some are using it and some not. None of us do.

Are you on social media?

No.

By choice or were you instructed to avoid that?

I don't feel like being on social media. First, there's a lot of responsibility (as an India shooter) and secondly if I don't reply to messages from friends, they may feel bad. So once I set myself aside from all that, I told my friends "when I get time, I will get in touch myself. Just in case of emergency, you can call me." And whatsapp we use only for team notifications about practice and competition schedule, when is the team bus leaving, etc.

Let's talk a little about your friendship with Saurabh. You both shoot the 10m air pistol, both have won a World Cup gold, both have secured an Olympic quota each for India. It almost seems you inspire each other.

Saurabh and I have been friends (from) before the (2018) Asian Games. I first met him in Bhopal at a training camp for the Asian Games. I met Saurabh and Anish there. Then there was a camp in Delhi. From thereon, he has always been my room-mate.

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Talking about your seriousness towards the sport, we heard that you went for practice straight after winning the gold at Beijing World Cup. Is that true?

It's almost a routine for me. If I feel after a competition, or even after practice, that I need to shoot for a while more, I do that. It wasn't a one-off thing I did in Beijing; I normally do that.

Are you already thinking about a debut at the Olympics next year?

I don't think too far ahead of me. My focus stays on my practice or the competition I am shooting in. If I do that and give my best, I will definitely get selected. And if somebody else is the best at that time, he will get the nod.