Pakistan’s medal chance in shooting cannot be ruled out: Lodhi

LAHORE: Pakistan has progressed well in shooting in recent years despite the fact that the game needs huge resources to flourish.

The world is investing heavily in this sport unlike Pakistan where shooters are unable to get the required exposure. However despite all obstacles national shooters have pulled off surprises in recent years.

Three of Pakistan’s shooters including the 36-year old Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, Jospeh Gulfam and a university student Kishmala Talat are set to represent Pakistan in the Paris Olympics which will begin next month.

The trio have directly qualified for the world’s most prestigious event. The big question is whether national shooters will be able to click in Paris Games. And a senior official of National Rifle Association of Pakistan (NRAP) Javed Lodhi on Tuesday said that medal chance in shooting in the Olympic Games cannot be ruled out.

“You cannot rule out the medal chances as on a given day anything may happen,” Lodhi told ‘The News’ on Tuesday. “There is 15 to 20 percent medal chance. All three shooters are undergoing tough training at Lahore under the Russian coach and we hope they pull off surprise at the biggest stage,” said Lodhi, who also will act as Deputy Chef de Mission of Pakistan’s contingent during the Paris Olympics.

“All three can become the finalists. It depends on how an athlete delivers on a given day. They are in shape and we expect something stunning from them,” Lodhi said. Lodhi said it is difficult to judge a shooter from the world ranking.

“The issue is that our shooters don’t get the kind of exposure which others get and that is why their global rating points are low but it does not mean that we cannot compete at the biggest stage,” he said.

Russian Gennady Solodovnkiov is imparting training to the trio. Kuwait Shooting Federation is bearing the coach expenses. “Gennady is a good coach and he cares for even minute things and knows how to develop an athlete,” Lodhi said.

GM Bashir and Jospeh Gulfam earned Olympics seats during the World Championship in Egypt in October 2022. GM Bashir did so by claiming the first ever bronze in Pakistan’s World Championship history in the 25m rapid fire pistol. Jospeh, on the other hand, finished sixth in the same event to claim Olympics quota in the 10m air pistol.

Kishmala Talat qualified for Paris Olympics after winning silver in the Asian Championship in Indonesia early this year. She became the first Pakistani shooter to win a bronze in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year in China.