London silver medallist Vijay Kumar set for a comeback after five years

PUNE: Some comebacks are much awaited. When Vijay Kumar takes the 25m rapid fire field in the shooting Nationals on Thursday, it will be a comeback that Indian shooting has been waiting for a long time.
The 2012 London Games silver medallist, who has been out of the sport for almost five years, will shoot in the Nationals after four years.
And when he takes the field in the event that won him the Olympics medal, he expects things to be a lot different than they were five years ago.
"There have been many young shooters who have come up in Indian shooting. Age in shooting is not a barrier and there have been shooters who have won Olympic medals in their 50s. However, it won't be easy for me as I will be competing with shooters who have been training for over a year, while I am coming with a training of seven days," Vijay told TOI.
Vijay had taken retirement from the army and had joined Himachal Pradesh Police four years ago. He has been appointed as Deputy Superintendent of Police in Shimla. The shooter said attending trainings in the new job kept him busy.
"There were many trainings that I had to attend over the past few years. Since I have completed them, I had put a request in my department to allow me to participate in the Nationals," he said.
At the Tokyo Games, no Indian shooter could qualify for the men's 25m rapid fire event. It wasn't a good feeling for the former national champion in this event.
"It was natural to feel bad when nobody could win a quota for the Tokyo Games. I think this was the reason I decided to come back. I would be lying if I said that I am not looking at the 2024 Paris Games. However, I know it won't be easy," the Commonwealth Games medallist said.
Vijay's first challenge would be to seek permission from his department to train full time.
"I have written for permission to train full time. Then, my ranking is zero. My first challenge will be to reach my old scores and come back to the Indian team. It will not happen overnight, and I am prepared for the grind," he said.