VERMA Abhishek

General
CAREER CHOICE
He spent time studying law before deciding to pursue shooting as a professional athlete. "I thought I would specialise in cybercrime. Shooting started along the lines of, 'Why not try this out? Let's see how this sport works'. After some good performances, everyone was like, 'You are doing well, so why not invest some more time in it?' Studies were still the primary objective. When I made the [Indian national] team, the scenario was different. I saw it as an opportunity to give back something to my country. No-one would say no to that. The plan was to start [my legal practice] after the Olympics but then it got postponed. As the Olympics gets closer in 2021, I will concentrate more on my shooting and keep my court work aside. I will spend more time in my practice sessions and concentrate more on my game. Once the Olympics are over, I will again resume my court work." (olympicchannel.com, 21 Jul 2020; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 14 Jul 2020; newindianexpress.com, 14 Jul 2020; scroll.in, 29 Jun 2020; thehindu.com, 02 Sep 2019; indiatimes.com, 20 May 2019)

LATE STARTER
He began shooting as a hobby at age 25, and three years later won bronze in the men's 10m air pistol at the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia. "I came to know about shooting only in 2015, and I started the next day. From that day on, I started preparing myself to become a professional shooter, worked hard and got rewarded." (indiatimes.com, 20 May 2019; indiatoday.in, 27 Apr 2019)