This guy ‘Goldfinger’ has finally proved to critics that his performance at the Commonwealth Games last year was no fluke. OK, in case you have forgotten who I am talking about, it is none other than bulky Samresh Jung, who finally clinched an Olympic quota place in Munich today.
I had actually begun to think that with seven shooters already having made the grade for Beijing 2008, Samresh would have just lost the quota battle. More so, after he failed to come good last December at the Doha Asian Games.
One thing I can say with certainty is, if anyone is really relieved, it can be none other than the ever-smiling Samresh himself, his wife Anuja and the Jung family members. To be sure, Samresh’s showing at the ISSF World Cup in Munich wasn’t about winning a medal.
The Delhi-based shooter, who toils as hard as a beaver, finished fourth, but as the others ahead already had a quota place, he got through in the slow-fire air pistol. I had spoken to a lot many shooters and those connected with the sport last year as to why Samresh was struggling to get a quota place. Most of them had one thing to say in common: Samresh was putting too much pressure on himself trying to qualify
In modern day sport, it is impossible to realise your dreams unless you enjoy it. Perhaps, had Pete Sampras enjoyed clay, he would have won the French, had Ivan Lendl not looked at grass with suspicion, he would have been champion at Wimbledon.
Why go that far, I guess, today, even Sania Mirza is enjoying herself on clay. She won a round at the French Open beating an old Italian pro, where the Indian’s tenacity was there for all to see.
If anyone reading this blog thinks I am digressing from what I had started with -- Samresh Jung -- let me make it clear Sania also needs encomium. In a way, for both Samresh and Sania, the period behind has been one of agony, though in different ways.
I can well visualize Sania brooding in the last two weeks, not having won one round in singles. So when you come out firing all of a sudden, it does immense good to the confidence. And sport is all about confidence, where on break of serve does not mean you lose the match.
Similarly, Samresh knows if he squeezed the trigger right today, everything was fine. His breathing, his concentration, his focus and his sight.
For once, this was a day when Indian sportspersons were not blaming bad luck. Don’t we hear that excuse over and over again?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Mr Kannan, I am hooked to your daily posts. The issues you raise with such élan have really got me fixated. Not only are your posts insightful, but also very pertinent and striking. Your piece on Dav Whatmore, particularly, was a brilliant one, one that helped me get a hang of the current scenario. That fact that you are laconic, allowing your grateful readers to think on their feet, also adds to the allure of your daily posts.
Brevity is certainly the wit of your life! Also, you write on a variety of issues, and manage to do it with such aplomb, such grace, wow. I’m a fan!
No doubt shooting is a psychological sport and I guess Samaresh was in complete control of himself when he made the cut for the Olympics. Shooters often come up with impressive performance during training, but when it comes actual competition they just fade away….the reason is simple — lack in concentration and that’s where they need to work. Let’s hope Samaresh displays the same level of concentration at the Games too.
Post a Comment