London: For a 26-year-old, Vijay Kumar looked matured beyond his age. Minutes after winning the biggest medal in his career, the pistol shooter from Himachal Pradesh said his preparations for the Olympics was nothing more than what he had done at all major meets before.

Calm and composed, Vijay in fact looked least excited among all the Indians present at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

“This silver medal is surely the biggest medal of my career because it has come at the Olympics... But I did not do anything special for it. I took it as one of the big meets,” he said.

“I have won medals at the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and several other competitions. This was one medal which was missing… Now, my haul is complete. This is for my country and I also dedicate the medal to my father Baku Ram Sharma,” said Vijay, his voice reflecting his satisfaction. “Without my father, I would not have achieved so much,” he added.

For the modern generation sportspersons, mental toughness and discipline is of extreme importance. But Vijay is in a league of his own, it seems, and he never gives much importance to such things.

Asked who was his mental trainer for the Olympics, the pistol man laughed and said that he did not need one. “I don’t need any mental training... We get hardened by being in the Army itself,” he said.

“It’s important that you remain calm. I have been shooting for the last eight years and this is all part of my training,” he said.

On discipline, Vijay echoed similar views as he said that being an Armyman, it came to him naturally.

Despite winning the medal, Vijay refuses to be interested in the limelight. “In the Indian contingent, all are talented performers and they all have the potential to win. The important thing is to perform at the right time,” said the subedar from 16 Dogra Regiment.

Vijay, however, admitted that on Friday, initially he was nervous. “Of course I was nervous, but the important thing is to control it and stay calm…

“Focus matters a lot. You have to control the nervous system as you get only four seconds to fire five shots in a series. It is not easy to withstand pressure and come out on top,” he said.

Not surprisingly, Vijay gave his thumbs up to the new format under which the scores of the qualification rounds are not carried into the final.

“It is good for everyone… One has to be at the top of his game all the time. It is interesting and very good.”

So, what next for our new hero? “I plan to go home to my family... I haven’t been home for the last one-and-a-half years,” he said.

Asked when he would get married, the ‘sharp shooter’ Vijay said it depended on his father.

Vijay Kumar also thanked his Russian coach Pavel Smirnov for his success at the 2012 Games. “I must thank my coach Smirnov… Without his assistance, I would not have been here.”

Smirnov, however, remains modest and said: “In the last three years, Indian Army shooters have done extremely well at international competitions.

“We are in the eighth year of the programme and still have a long way to go. We need more coaches to take the programme forward,” he said.

“Now, I have to look after 30 shooters and that becomes an impossible task. I have asked the management for more coaches so that all the shooters get equal attention,” explained the Russian coach.