ISSF World Cup: 'Want to stay grounded,' says Shahu Mane after double gold success at Changwon

Kolkata: Making a senior World Cup debut and bagging two gold medals is no mean feat for 20-year-old Shahu Mane, who made a comeback to the Indian shooting team in style by reigning supreme in the mixed as well as men’s team 10m air rifle event at the Changwon ISSF World Cup.

What made the medal run in South Korea more special was the fact it came against Hungary’s multiple gold medallist Istvan Peni (finished 5th at Tokyo Olympics) while Shahu team up with 2018 World Championships silver medallist Mehuli Ghosh in the mixed team final. It takes nothing away from the value of the other gold, in which Shahu, along with Arjun Babuta and Paarth Makhija, rallied to beat the South Korean trio of Seungho Bang, Sangdo Kim, and Hajun Park in a nail-biting final.

However, Shahu is unwilling to go ahead of himself following the double success on his senior World Cup debut and vows to ‘stay grounded’ until he realises his dreams.

“I am not on cloud nine, I am grounded. I have to stay grounded because this is not just about one competition until I achieve my dreams,” Shahu tells Firstpost from Changwon shortly after clinching the second medal.

One may feel that it’s obvious for a confident young man to dream. However, if you taste youth Olympic glory at just 17 and then have to sit out of the Indian team for more than two years, then nobody likes to take things for granted.

Back in 2018, his individual silver medal at the Youth Olympics was an awe-inspiring story in itself as he battled prolonged severe back pain during the event in Buenos Aires. Leading to the event, Shahu already had the world junior record of highest team score at a World Cup to his name and was part of that young bunch of shooters that included names like Manu Bhaker, Saurabh Chaudhury, Elavenil Valarivan among others.

Things, however, fell apart two years later as his transition to the senior team was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented crisis, bringing the entire world to a halt, cost him a shot at achieving his dream Tokyo Olympics.

“Not making it to the Tokyo Olympics was one the toughest pills to swallow. I remember, prior to the pandemic, I was egging on to put myself out there at the trials as I was shooting great. But the quarantine took away the guns from me. I was able to do exercise every day to stay fit but spending time at the ranges is what matters.

“Post-quarantine it was even tougher with no schedule of nationals and trials getting postponed multiple times and even cancelled as well with the government being cautious. I don’t want to complain but the devil is in the details,” says a candid Shahu.

The time away from the team also gave a harsh reality check to the young man from Kolhapur (Maharashtra), who saw his medals stand for nothing.

“The period made me realise that people have a short memory and your medals are soon forgotten. At the time when I was out of the team and wanted to work harder, my college thought I have more time for studies and bogged me down with practicals and deadlines. I also made a request for a license for 50m shooting to the local authorities but was shown the exit door instead,” recalls Shahu, who is currently world No 72 in the 10m air rifle category.

The shooter soon made it back to the team on merit after putting up a credible show during the national trials, where he finished third behind current world No 17 Rudranksh Patil and world No 13 Arjun Babuta.

Shahu still missed out on team selection for the first three rifle and pistol World Cups (in Lima, Rio de Janiero, and Baku) in the year with Rudranksh, Arjun, and Paarth Makhija getting the nod ahead of him. However, ISSF’s rule of permitting each shooter just two World Cup participations in a year meant Shahu finally made his senior debut in Changwon and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.

And despite the double success, things didn’t go exactly according to plan for the rookie shooter as he stumbled at the very first hurdle. Failing to hold on to his nerve, Shahu was punished for his inexperience at the top level as he finished 30th among 55 shooters in the qualification round; not making it to the finals.

“Playing at a World Cup after such a long gap, I was damn nervous, haalat tight ho rakhi thi. I was feeling confused as I was uncertain if I should stick to the basics or be technical,” says Shahu.

However, having the company of experienced coaches Suma Sirur (chief coach) and Thomas Farnik (chief foreign rifle coach) provided the 21-year-old shooter some much-needed advice and the two gold medals soon followed. The entire experience of the tour made it the most memorable learning experience of his career.

“The tour is great learning; the best I ever had in my shooting career. I felt I was able to react well after I suffered a setback early. I wasn’t certain if I should change my alignment to what I usually preferred in Delhi (Karni Singh Ranges). It made sense to change it as all ranges are different but as a less experienced shooter, who is also feeling nervous you are always second-guessing yourself.

“So I turn to Thomas and Suma for help and they suggested me to change it and seeing my reluctance Thomas asked me to be brave to trust my instinct in a match. He was certain that making such adjustment in a match — and not just in training — is the difference in reaching the podium. I felt much more comfortable heading into the match knowing what to do and it worked in the mixed event. In fact, by the men’s team final, I felt very much in control with my posture as I reacted well with us needing to overturn the score to win,” says Shahu.

The long-awaited international success also brought back some much-needed joy to the Mane family in Kolhapur as his father Tushar Mane, who runs a medical store in the city, woke up early in the morning at 6 to watch his son live for the men’s team final.

“My father is my biggest fan. He watched all my matches of this tour. I wasn’t even certain if he will wake up early for the team final as well but he did. Later Suma ma’am told me that notifications on my phones kept coming even before the match got over as many people back home saw the game. But I was really happy to make my father proud as he always backs me to follow my dream, he has been the pillar of my life,” says Sahu.

As far as his dreams are concerned, Shahu is clear about what he wants to achieve: “Do Olympic jab tak khel nahi leta, (Until I play in two Olympics) I am not letting any success get over my head. It’s a promise I made to myself.”

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