Manavjit Singh Sandhu in Ranchi on Tuesday. Picture by Prashant Mitra

Ranchi, Feb. 15: At the age of 18, he bagged his first gold at the Asian Amateur Shooting Championship in China. Since then, there was no stopping this ace shooter from Punjab.

Meet Manavjit Singh Sandhu, one of the few top seed players to take part in the 34th National Games in Jharkhand.

Initially slated to attend the training camp in Italy from the second week of this month, Sandhu postponed it at the last moment.

“Unfortunately, top seed players did not come to Jharkhand. This is bad. The National Games is as important as any other competition. The government spends a lot of money to organise these events. So, if big names don’t come, the emerging players will not get the opportunity to rub shoulders with them and interact with them,” Sandhu told The Telegraph on the eve of the finals tomorrow.

Sandhu, touted as one of the medal hopefuls for the upcoming London Olympics, shot to fame for his golden hit during the 2006 ISSF World Shooting Championship held in Zagreb, Croatia, after which he become world number 1 in trap shooting. In 2008 Beijing Olympics, he finished 10 and couldn’t improve his form even during competitions held a year after. However, he was back with a bang during the Commonwealth Games in Delhi last year.

“One of the reasons for my not-so-good performances over the past year or so is that I was trying out some adjustments my weapons (shooting equipment). This apart, I was also struggling to stay physically fit as this game requires mental endurance and a lot of practice. But I think now I am in control. Past laurels don’t count when you are on the field. At the end of the day, performance matters,” he said.

Sandhu is confident that this time, he will definitely hit the bull’s eye in Olympics. “I am really keen to bag a gold for my country. With exposure, I am evolving,” the shooter, who after will immediately leave for Italy after the Games here, added.

He gave full marks to the trap shooting range in Hotwar. “I have not spotted any flaw. This is one of the best ranges. It is spacious too,” he said.