London silver medalist Vijay Kumar makes a comeback at the National Shooting Championship

The former Navy man is aware of the uphill task that awaits him but wants to take one step at a time, for now. “It won't be easy for me as I will be competing with shooters who have been training for over a year, while I have trained for seven days," Vijay Kumar told the Times of India.

Kumar had joined the Himachal Pradesh Police in 2017 and works as a deputy superintendent of police (DSP) there. But the responsibilities managed to keep him out of the shooting range. The performance by the Indian shooting contingent also forced him to make a comeback. 

"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.”

Obviously, the big goal for him is to participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “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.”

Meanwhile, Kumar and Gagan Narang were the Indian shooters who had won medals at London 2012 for the country, after which no shooter has managed to win a medal at the Games. As far as the Nationals is concerned, Kumar's event will be held on Sunday.