'I am not that old': On a comeback trail, pistol ace and Olympic medallist Vijay Kumar returns to India squad

Shooting Championships late last year, Vijay Kumar got to know that people were whispering: "He must be here visiting, isn't it?" But that was expected. A past conqueror lurking around a battlefield where he once vanquished opponents makes people keep an eye out for him. The fear in those whispers came true. Among the eight finalists of the men's 25m rapid fire pistol (RFP) event at the 2021 National Championships was a familiar name: Vijay Kumar, the 2012 London Olympics silver medallist. "I didn't win a medal, finished fourth [at the Nationals], but people surely were surprised that I was suddenly back," a modest Vijay said, beginning this conversation with TimesofIndia.com.That short story of a comeback was the result of just a week or so of "serious training". At 36, almost 10 years after his Olympic moment, Vijay hasn't lost the touch, even though the faces around him are now a lot younger. "I am not that old," he quipped, and then broke into a hearty laugh.

(Vijay with his 2012 Olympic silver medal - Twitter Photo)At the Nationals, he knocked off the first objective in his comeback bid. He was then waiting for Selection Trials 1 and 2, which concluded in Bhopal last month. It followed the announcement of India's National Squad for 2022. In the list of accumulated scores from the Nationals and the two Selection Trials, Vijay's average was the second best among the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event for senior men. The DSP with the Himachal Pradesh Police was back in the national squad. "The first objective was to qualify in the Nationals and then to be in the national squad. Two steps are done. Now the third is to improve my scores (in Selection Trials 3 to 6) and get selected for international competition," Vijay, who