Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (left) with Tata Steel managing director B Muthuraman at the Beldih golf course. Picture by Bhola Prasad

Jamshedpur, Nov. 15: Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore?s visit to the city for the Tata Open golf tourney may well open the doors for setting up of a state-of-the-art shooting range here.

Grapevine has it that the shooting range was very much a part of the chat between Tata Steel chief executive B. Muthuraman and ace shooter Rathore this afternoon.

Confirming this, the 34-year-old ace shooter, the lone Indian to have won a silver medal in the double trap event of the Olympic Games at Athens this year, said a shooting range here was very much in the offing. Visibly tired after playing 18-holes of the Pro-am at Beldih and Golmuri golf courses today, Rathore, clad in black jeans and orange T-shirt, said: ?Muthuraman has shown interest in setting up a shooting range here.?

He added that he would talk in detail about the shooting range with the Tata Steel brass later this evening. ?He has discussed setting up of a shooting range in this city. And since Jharkhand is hosting the 2007 National Games, a quality shooting range would not be a bad idea,? he added.

Rathore, meanwhile, was in for a shock when the butt of a double barrel rifle knocked him hard on the upper lip. The shooter, who was felicitated by the Jamshedpur Rifle Club (JRC) this evening, was asked to shoot by a double barrel rifle when he was about to leave for another function. ?Well, I?m not used to such weapons. I won't shoot with this rifle,? an apparently angry Rathore told JRC officials. Though not in a mood to shoot, Rathore relented after a gaggle of kids persuaded him to lift the weapon. He shot immaculately, but had to leave the venue with a bad taste in his mouth.

But he brushed off the incident as a stray one.

Later, at JRD Tata Sport Complex, he answered queries lobbed by eager and young cadets of Tata Steel training centres. His message for all: be strong psychologically.

Rathore, ranked third in the world, speaking about his first trip to the city, told The Telegraph: ?It?s great to be in this sports city. I enjoyed my golf in such great company. I would love to drop in here whenever an opportunity comes my way.?

Earlier, after completing his golf engagements in company of Muthuraman, Jamshedpur golf team?s captain B.L. Raina and top pro Ashok Kumar, Rathore said shooting was in for a big leap in the country. ?Several 10-metre shooting ranges are coming up in the country. Things are looking up in this specific area.?

Asked if his success in the Olympics in any way helped shooting in the country, Rathore said his achievement has helped the people to notice the sport. He added that now the people who matter have started taking positive steps towards building infrastructure.