His golden pastime

Though Abhishek Verma, 29, started shooting to get away from textbooks, the new World No. 3 has sealed an Olympic berth for India by winning gold at Beijing’s ISSF World Cup last month

Q. You finished 24th at your first World Cup in February. What did you do differently to take top spot in Beijing?

A. I realised after my first World Cup that I was having a hard time handling the pressure during the last few shots. So, I worked on maintaining my composure, so that even if I had a few bad shots, I would still be able to execute my plan.

Q. You have a degree in engineering and law. Why take up shooting at an age when most people choose to focus on their careers?

A. I picked up shooting as a distraction from my law studies while at home in Hisar. I started with a rifle before picking up the pistol in December 2014. It all changed when I won gold at a state-level competition in Haryana in 2015. So when I found the right coach, Omendra Singh, there was no looking back.

Q. How different would things have been had you started shooting in your teens?
A. I think I took less time to understand the sport, since I started at a later age. I tend to grasp things faster and I think that being mature really helped me progress rapidly.

Q. Are you aware of another Abhishek Verma, who is an arms dealer?

A. I’m off social media because I prefer to stay in the real world rather than the virtual one. But I know that there is a third Abhishek Verma as well, who’s into archery. These are times when it is possible to even confuse Google!

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