My particular event is the 10m Air Rifle event. The distance it’s shot from is 10 metres. We are looking to get a 10 on the target. The size of the 10 is .5mm. The qualification competition comprises 60 competition shots, shot in a timeframe of one hour and 45 minutes. The top eight athletes from the qualification round enter the final round. The final round is the deciding factor. It’s where it counts. The final round is scored in decimal points.

•And the bull’s-eye is not a 100 per cent, it’s like a 109 per cent.

Yeah, the maximum you can get is a 10.9.

•On 10?

Yes that’s the centre. Then it’s scored in decimals, the final score is added to the qualification and at the end of 10 shots, whoever has the maximum is the winner.

•Tell us about the loneliness of the shooter. We’ve all heard the loneliness of a long-distance runner.

Yes, it’s a quiet sport. It’s almost meditative because you are competing against your own self and that’s it. You’re competing against others, but the performance depends on the competition against your own self. So it’s a quiet and lonely battle.

•And you don’t know what others are doing, because on one command all of you are almost shooting together.

Yes. You get to know after the shot is fired, but you shoot against yourself.

•So tell me what goes on at the deck point. Who are you talking to when you are by yourself at the range?

... contd.