Over the last ten minutes, Varun Tomar – the 20-year-old shooting prodigy from Uttar Pradesh, who has earned a quota for the 2024 Paris Olympics – had barely offered an answer that had more than two sentences. Not that it was unanticipated, for before the commencement of his conversation with The Quint – some eleven minutes ago – he offered an earnestly candid disclaimer.
“I am an introvert, I don’t speak much. Bas apne kaam se kaam rakhta hu (I only focus on my work),” he had said.
That, his reply on being asked about his Paris Olympics aspirations comprised only a solitary word, was hence far from startling. What was, however, was the sheer conviction with which he replied:
“Gold.”
From Missing Out on Asian Games To Being On Top of the World
Courtesy of winning a gold medal in men’s 10m Air Pistol at the Asian Olympic Qualifiers, held in Jakarta earlier this month, Varun is among the nineteen Indian shooters to have earned an Olympics quota. On the International Shooting Sport Federation rankings, he is also placed first, with a rating of 2000.
Varun Tomar is ranked first in men's 10m Air Pistol event.
(Photo: ISSF)
Albeit, before the world blossomed for Varun, it came crashing down. Only six months ago, he found out he will not be travelling to China for the 2023 Asian Games, having missed out by an excruciatingly narrow margin.
Recalling the incident, Varun says:
Not getting selected for the Asian Games was the biggest low of my career. I had worked very hard for it, but could not qualify by a very narrow margin. It was tough to deal with, because it hurts badly when you work hard for something but still cannot achieve it.Varun Tomar
American writer Gore Vidal's statement – “whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies” – does not hold true in sports, as a friend’s success can be the most efficacious inspiration a sportsperson could wish for. In Varun’s case, 22 shooting medals at the Asian Games reinvigorated his zeal.
Seeing other shooters doing great while I could not even participate was a tough pill to swallow, but it also worked as a motivator. Once I managed to recover from that low, I decided my next target would be something even bigger than the Asian Games – the Olympics.Varun Tomar
How a Bookworm Picked Up the Pistol
The usual born-for-sports narrative does not fit Varun. Whilst his peers in Uttar Pradesh’s Baghpat would indulge in any and every sport to facilitate the repudiation of academic trepidation, he would rather find solace in his textbooks.
I was always a studious kid. Much of my time was spent in school and tuition. On rare occasions, I did play cricket with the kids of my locality, but the focus was always on doing well in my studies.Varun Tomar
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Young Varun's interests lied in academics, rather than sports.
(Photo: Sourced by The Quint)
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Varun took to shooting after being encouraged by his parents – Vishesh Kumar and Pammi Chaudhari.
(Photo: Sourced by The Quint)
The shooting journey commenced only in 2017, not because of an expeditiously magical love for the sport, but predominantly for his cousin, Saurabh Chaudhary’s success. Saurabh had already earned fame and acclaim by finishing fourth at the World Junior Championships.
Because Saurabh was doing so well, there was a huge craze about shooting in our locality. So, my parents wanted me to try it out as well. Saurabh also motivated me by saying that if I am committed enough, shooting can be a great career option.Varun Tomar
A fifteen-year-old Saurabh accompanied a fourteen-year-old Varun to Amit Sheoran’s Veer Sahamal Rifle Club in Benauli. What followed, as Varun felt, was ‘love at first sight.’
Professional Shooter, BA Student, Army Employee – Varun’s Triple Role
In only a year, Varun stood fourth in the intra-state competition, and eighth in what was his debut at the nationals. Since then, improvement has been unremitting, albeit he decided not to do away with academics.
Shooting is at the top of my priority list, but I have not quit academics either. Currently, I’m pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Meerut’s Chaudhary Charan Singh University. My parents – who are both teachers – also feel that despite the demands of my shooting career, I should attain a minimum level of education. It gets very hard to balance the two, but I’m somehow managing it.Varun Tomar
A professional shooter, and a BA student are, however, not the only two mentions on Varun’s résumé. Since last year, he has been working with the Indian Army.
I got an offer from the Indian Army last year. They were impressed with my performance. It has been a great journey with them so far, because they are always willing to help me in every capacity.Varun Tomar
How Visualisation Became Varun’s Ace of Spade
For Varun, benefits from the Army have been multifarious, but none more effectual than working with a sports psychologist, Sanjana. He elaborates:
Visualisation and meditation are very important parts of my preparation procedure. Besides skills, I think it is very important to have the right mental preparation. Visualising myself standing at the podium, with the gold medal around my neck, gives a massive boost to my mental strength. This is something I have learned from Sanjana ma’am – the psychologist I’m working with. Army recommended me to consult her a few months ago. Whenever I feel I am lacking motivation or my performance is going down, I turn to visualisation and meditation. I visualised myself winning the gold medal in Jakarta, and then, I achieved it.Varun Tomar
Having conquered Jakarta, his nascent visualisation sessions are more audacious than ever before. Now, he is visualising himself at the top of the Olympic podium, with the Indian national anthem blazing through the speakers in Paris.
On being asked about how is he so confident, Varun replied "Confidence comes from dedication. I am fully focused on my goal and I am one hundred per cent committed in my training sessions every single day. Jab aap har roz one hundred per cent de raho ho, tab gold medal to banta hi hain na sir (When I am devoting my one hundred per cent effort every day, I can expect a medal, sir)."
Low on Social Skills, High on Ambitions
Besides childhood coach Amit Sheoran and Army coach Deepak Dubey, Varun also credits his coaches at the national camp, led by the Arjuna awardee Samaresh Jung, for his recent amelioration. Albeit, besides honing Varun’s technical prowess, the coaches are also having to work on his social skills.
My coaches have tried a lot to make me more social and get me to open up, but I have always been an introvert. When we go abroad for competitions, I prefer spending my downtime in my hotel room, while they try to drag me outside so that I can explore new places and meet new people.Varun Tomar
In six months, Varun will have the opportunity to make himself familiar to 1.4 billion people – Indians – without even uttering one word. All he needs is an Olympic medal.
“I am not thinking about how big the competition is, or what is at stake. My only focus is on my work. As for the target, gold se neeche sochna nahin hain (I don’t want to think of anything lesser than the gold medal),” he signs off.
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