GUANGZHOU - Indian shooter Lajjakumari Tilakpuri Gauswami, who couldn't afford practice bullets until she won a scholarship last year, says her training as a psychologist gives her an edge in the competition, which demands not only eagle-eye vision but nerves of steel.
"About 80 percent of shooting is a mental game, and studying psychology (at university) has really taught me how to get a handle on my mental situation," said the 18-year-old, who started training four years ago and has overcome financial adversity to succeed at the sport.
"One year ago I couldn't even afford bullets, but I got a sponsor last year and that helped," said Gauswami, who is studying for a degree in psychology at NS Patel College.
The new funding saw her improve quickly, and helped her secure a national title after she finally found a coach in the form of the national team trainer.
She said it is a challenge to juggle her studies and the demands of being a professional sportswoman.
"I study at night for three or four hours, then start shooting at eight in the morning and keep going until 5 pm," she said. Then there is all the traveling time to calculate because the shooting range is so far from her college, she added.
She said shooting is maturing as a sport in India, where she believes it has a promising future.
"There used to be only one international shooter in my state, so people didn't really know anything about the sport, but that all changed after the Commonwealth Games."
She grabbed a silver medal at the recently ended games in Delhi, the first time she made any money from the sport, but has not been so lucky in Guangzhou.
Gauswani took part in the 50m rifle prone and 50m rifle three positions at the 16th Asiad and was happy to gain more international experience despite failing to find a spot on the podium.
"I'm really inspired by (Chinese shooter) Wu Liuxi. She's one of my idols and I hope one day I can shoot like her," said Gauswami. "If I wasn't doing this, I don't know what I'd do with my life because I like shooting, I enjoy shooting. It's fun. It's thrilling."
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