In 2012, a 12-year-old kid from Gujarat jumped in joy on his bed, as Gagan Narang secured a bronze medal in the air rifle shooting category at the London Olympics. An intense finish for the final medal spot only strengthened the kid's belief, and his dream of standing on the Olympic podium one day glowed brighter than ever.
Four years on, the kid - who goes by the name Pruthviraj Ayachi - pulled off the unthinkable at the National Shooting Championship in Pune. At just 16 years of age, Ayachi obliterated the prone national record by more than 3 points - despite still competing in the junior category.
His score of 209.5 points is the same as that of Rio gold medallist Henri Junghaenel from Germany. That catapulted Ayachi to the list of 2016's top Indian marksmen, ahead of multiple Olympic veterans.
His score is actually two points higher than the senior nationals winner Sushil Ghaley - that's how monumental his feat is. Despite never donning India colours, Ayachi demolished a veteran who was twice his age, and that too in a year when national shooters drew a blank at the Olympics.
A journey of self-discovery
The journey of this teenager from Gandhidham, albeit a relatively short one so far, has been one of self-discovery and discipline. Speaking to Sportskeeda, Ayachi said, "My father is a national level shooter, so my inclination and exposure to the sport was always there. But I never took it very seriously.
"In the beginning, I took up pistol shooting, but I was never interested in doing that specifically. I stopped after a year, but then the Olympics came and my interest grew again. My father was winning medals on the national front, so I decided let me start rifle shooting."
When he was 12 Ayachi weighed around 65 kg, which made him borderline obese for his age. He added, "I needed a proper lifestyle change if I wanted to take this sport seriously. I had to begin exercising on a regular basis, no junk food diet. These are sacrifices which were very important to me because if I wanted to reach that level, it needed immediate sacrifices."
Shooting as a sport has always had to deal with a 'fitness not required' stereotype; there is a widespread misconception that a shooter does not require any amount physical movement to participate in the sport. But while the sport might have limited motion, carrying such a heavy weapon (over 4 kg) and keeping your heart rate low require a great deal of fitness.
Ayachi added, "When I used to shoot before my heart rate was around 85 plus, which is very unhealthy. This used to result in my hands shaking, etc. If you're not fit, you're affected mentally as well."
The prodigy's father Dilip Ayachi is the first professional shooter from the Gandhidham region. After successfully setting up a thriving export business, he went about chasing his dream of becoming an Olympic level shooter.
He said, "Pruthvi was interested in shooting because of me, but in the beginning I knew that I was forcing him. In 2012, I decided to invest all my money and set up a small range here, so that shooters from in and around Gujarat can come and practice. This is the first ever practice range in the region.
"The Gujarat government supported us a lot, gave us subsidies on ammunition. However, since it is an expensive sport, not everybody can access it. What Pruthvi pulled off in Pune is an indication of all the hard work we have been putting in.”
In his first year of competition, Ayachi Jr. showed signs of greatness by winning the gold medal at the All India nationals. He registered a score of 576/600 and defeated competitors more than twice his age, at just 13.
The feat was so remarkable that current Prime Minister Narendra Modi was compelled to send him a congratulatory message. However, Ayachi wasn't ecstatic - just because he couldn’t follow up that success with more medals.
He said, "You know, back home it was very difficult for us to get arms and ammunition easily. So we had a limited set of rounds, and I could only practise a certain amount on a given day. Hence, when I went to my senior nationals, I shot very poorly and finished in the top 20.
I hold really high expectations of myself and if I don't meet them it angers me. So I took a break from the sport and decided to concentrate on bettering my technique."
Upon realising the infrastructural problem in India, Ayachi's father decided to contact former national team coach Stanislas Lapidus for assistance. He said, "Stanislas is a good friend of mine, and when I met him I requested him multiple times to come help my son.
"The first day he came and met him, he pointed out there was some medical problem. We got a full medical check up done and he was right; Pruthvi was suffering multiple vitamin deficiencies which saw his heart rate jump up. Plus, he was not physically fit."
How a 16-year old matched the Rio Olympic gold medallist’s score
For close to a year, Ayachi underwent treatment and worked on his weight issues to fulfil his dream of becoming a world-class shooter. He said, "Look at the Paralympians - they are fit despite all the physical drawbacks they have. I didn't even have any problem; I was just being lazy.
If I have to achieve my dream of reaching the Olympics one day, there is no excuse I can give. The people who participate in these events have reached a level of sacrifice that one must absolutely put in."
Dreams often have the power of accelerating your maturity process. At the age of 13, Michael Phelps was scared of water; but by 17, he was on the verge of Olympic qualification. Now I'm not comparing Ayachi and Phelps in any way, but at such a young age, sacrificing things such as a social life and food indicates a strong commitment to a larger goal. And these sacrifices have been reflecting in Ayachi's performances over the past couple of years.
In 2014, the teen successfully qualified for the junior national selection camp. He was a front-runner for selection in the final squad, but an untimely issue with his equipment led to him being left out.
Dilip added, "His trigger jammed up, and none of the senior coaches or camp coordinators could help him fix it. Can you imagine being at the top of the sport at just 14 and then losing it all because your trigger stopped working? It can take a toll on a young kid, but Pruthvi treated it in a very mature manner. It was also at this point I realised if my son will become an Olympic medallist, he needs to be given all possible facilities."
The father-son duo flew down to Switzerland to purchase a new gun, ammunition and jackets. The gun's cost itself was Rs. 5 lakh, with the jacket raking up another cool Rs. 2 lakh. Ammo is a recurring cost, and annually the Ayachi family is spending Rs. 10 lakh solely on the equipment.
Dilip said, "I have been blessed that my recycling business has done well, and my passion for the sport is as high as his. But of course it's difficult, because the sport is expensive. Not everybody can afford it, and a bigger problem is that you can only get subsidies on ammo once you reach the national level. Hence the sport is even more expensive before that.
"There are no grassroots level coaches to guide you either. I'm in awe with the amount of talent India has within shooting, but it's our fault that we cannot harness that talent. Tournaments are cancelled left, right and centre, and there is no proper system in place."
Prior to the national event, Ayachi hadn't played a single national event in six months. After shooting a comfortable qualification score, he headed into the finals as the last shooter.
Shooting at the national level is far different from that at the international level. Here, the participants are allowed to distract each other within rounds. Before every shot Ayachi took, he was showered with a steady stream of curses and unsavoury language.
However, the years of sacrifice that had built up to this moment bore fruit, as he didn't register a single shot below 10 in the entire event. He was the only marksman to script such a record at the nationals - in both juniors and seniors.
Dilip said, "We had no idea what the score was actually, we just knew he had defeated the senior champion and broken the national record. We called his brother back home and asked him to check online, and he called back and said that he had equalled the score.
"It's a surreal feeling you know, especially because he has had no international experience whatsoever. None of the senior shooters also came close to the Rio mark. So it was a major confidence boost. But now he is solely focussed on Tokyo 2020, and such small achievements won't distract him from his goal."
Not a single shooter from Gujarat has ever qualified for the Olympics, despite the state boasting of rich facilities. Ayachi will now attend the junior national selection camp, where he will face off against Junior World Cup winner Subhankar Pramanick - whose best score is 205.5.
It would be fair to say that India's most disappointing sport in Rio was shooting. However, with budding prodigies such as Ayachi giving seniors a run for their money, the future's trigger seems to be in safe hands.
