Patience is the key weapon for Olympics-bound pistol shooter Abhishek Verma 

Patience is the hallmark of Tokyo-bound shooter Abhishek Verma.

The 31-year old from Haryana has been shooting steadily at the international level. At the Tokyo Olympic Games this month, he will be one of India's top medal prospects.

India wins a quota for @Tokyo2020 in men’s 10m air pistol as #TOPSAthlete #AbhishekVerma wins a gold🥇with a score of 242.7 at @ISSF_Shooting Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Beijing.🔸With this India has clinched both their quotas in this event.😊✌🏻✅Congratulations!👏🏻#KheloIndia🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/zs8hliDyS0

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) April 27, 2019

Abhishek’s journey into the sporting world defies the traditional logic of “catch them young”. He was a late bloomer.

The general trend in India is to take up shooting before one's teenage years. However, Abhishek started precision shooting during his college days.

Initially, it was just for fun. Later, it became his passion.

“I used to go to a gym in Hisar. Adjoining the gym was an air weapon shooting range. My friend visited the shooting range. One day I also followed him. That’s how I picked up 10m air pistol,” he said.

That was in 2015. He practiced with a dump pistol until he got his own weapon.

Even while pursuing a law degree, Abhishek found time to invest in his new hobby. The results were productive.

With solid financial backing from his parents, he made a steady rise within a short span of four years.

In 2017, two years after he took up shooting seriously, he was knocking on the doors of the national team.

The real breakthrough came in 2018. Though he produced consistent results in domestic events, it was with the bronze in men’s 10m air pistol at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games that he became an international star.

“He [Abhishek] has got lot of patience. Can do dry training for hours on end,” Jaspal Rana, national pistol coach, had observed.

When the second wave of COVID-19 raged across India, the elite shooters who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics had to go through a difficult phase.

Chandigarh: Abhishek Verma, who has won two gold medals in Shooting World Cup has set up a makeshift shooting range at his home to continue his practice amid #COVID19. He says, "Practice for the Olympics cannot stop. Quality of this setup is not great but I am doing my best." pic.twitter.com/qKmlJ7jnn3

— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2020

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) postponed the Olympic preparatory camp in April. Delhi's Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, the venue for the national camp, was out of bounds.

The NRAI then decided to shift the national camp to Zagreb in Croatia. Abhishek was excited about the development.

“The situation is not good to train in India due to the pandemic. It is good that NRAI has shifted the camp to Europe,” he said before leaving for Zagreb.

Getting back into the training mood after a break in April was tricky. In May, Abhishek shot a moderate 579 out of 600 in the MQS (Minimum Qualification Scores) category at the European Shooting Championships held in Osijek, Croatia.

At the Osijek World Cup in June, he improved to 581 to enter the eight-shooter final. He eventually finished fifth.

“The last three months will be very crucial for training. I believe there is no time to make adjustments to the technique. It will be good if I’m able to maintain my form till the Tokyo Olympic Games,” said the 2019 Beijing World Cup gold medalist.

Also Checkout: Tokyo Olympics 2021 Schedule