If we think about it we realize that all of us have gone through the experience of some form of physical pain due to our stance at least once or twice during our shooting career. So has Youth Olympic Silver Medalist Shahu Mane. We at Aim Down Sight thought that a recitation of his story by him would be the best and so we bring to you his journey. His struggles and his attempt and subsequent success over them has the potential to inspire countless shooters.
What proceeds is a recitation of Shahu Mane’s Story written by none other than Shahu Mane.
It seems like yesterday, a rather recent past, that I picked up a weapon for the first time. The summer of 2015, the torrid heat of the earth of the shooting range back home at Kolhapur, was a blur in the midst of the segue of aiming and firing. My coach then had identified me as a good shot and asked me to pursue it further. What started as a simple hobby was never fathomed to be something I would so passionately seek in the years to come. I have always been passionate about Sports and I love how shooting gave me a sense of belongingness, apart from bringing out the fun of competition, which I cherish a lot .
Over the course of time my skills enabled me to compete professionally and I won the Youth Gold at the 2017 National Championships. I finished at the top in the International Selection Trials after that which opened the doors to the Indian National Squad. This also presented me with the opportunity to compete at the Asian Shooting Championships of 2017, my first step unto the realm of international meets
The winter of 2017, the Asian Shooting Championships, a coveted international meet that offered the quotas of the Youth Olympic Games 2018, was where I won a Bronze and with it the novel opportunity to compete at the Games. Being a frivolous 16 year old, new to the pavillion of international championships, I now could see one of the myriad milestones I had dreamt off within reach. My Olympic dream, thought still distant, was now distinct.
Any athlete would agree that sports has its own ways of testing us, it puts us through hurdles and demands that we pick ourselves up, brush our past off, and move forward. My back injury right before the Games was one such challenge which took herculean courage and efforts to overcome. The back injury which I faced in 2018 prior to the biggest test of my shooting career till then, the Youth Olympics 2018, was the most challenging hurdle I had to overcome. It required a ton of mental strength and an unreal amount of optimism from my side because it is only human to be negative in situations like these. Though with the support of my coach Suma Shirur, I was able to find my way back.
It started in the January of 2018 and shot up to its worst two months before the Games. I was required to train less as recuperating from the injury was necessary. Suma Shirur, my coach, was the ray of light who guided me through this seemingly dark and endless tunnel of challenges. Jaspal Rana sir too made sure that I stuck to my routine and was ready to perform my best. While training and preparing for anything and everything I put up a brave front, through the camps and the pre-event training made me anxious but I was still confident about my skill.
The day prior to my match I had a chance to meet Abhinav Sir and even though I was starstruck those moments of talking to him motivated me all the more. On D-Day, after qualifications, I geared up for the finals and proceeding through it steadily, I made my way up. Finally after the last shot, when all was said and done, when the sweet sounds of victory echoed through the stadium announcing that India won the silver at the Games. I turned to look back at my coach and a huge wave of relief flooded me as if washing over all my struggles of the recent past and tears now welling up in my eyes .
The moment of the podium ceremony in which my country’s flag was being hoisted up turned out to be the most beautiful moment of my sporting career as it portrayed not only the hardships but along with it the valour an athlete has to show! Thank you all so much for letting me share my experience and I hope to motivate more shooters and athletes through it in the coming times.
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