Pak shooter's golden dream: GM Bashir aims to emulate Arshad's Olympic feat

The performance of the country’s premier javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem in the Paris Olympics has motivated seasoned shooter and three-time Olympian Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, who wants to emulate the Olympics gold medalist by winning medal for the nation in the 2028 Los Angeles Summer Games.

“Yes, in fact, Arshad bhai’s performance has motivated me a lot. I think if he can do it, I can as well. InshaAllah I will pull off a medal in 2028 Los Aneles Olympics,” GM Bashir told Nukta in an interview.

“In Paris Olympics too I was in top form but narrowly missed the final. I was hopeful for a medal. Look my eight shots were near 9.9 and it reduced my score for about four to five. Sometimes luck does not favor you but its part of the game,” Bashir said.

Bashir had managed 581 in the 25m rapid fire pistol in Paris and fell short of earning finals spot.

Bashir equaled the record of former shooter Khurram Inam by featuring in the third successive Olympics when he took part in the Paris Games recently. Before this he had also featured in the 2016 Rio Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

However, the special thing about Bashir is that he earned quota each time while Khurram Inam featured in three Olympics (2000, 2004, 2012) on wild cards.

Bashir in 2022 became the first Pakistani athlete to win a medal in the World Championship, when he snared bronze, which also helped him to qualify for Paris Games.

“The shooting event in Paris was conducted at a venue where around 4,000 fans were sitting, who were cheering hard and it really had an impact on your nervous system. Our event is such that we fire five shots inside four seconds on five different targets and it needs top focus,” Bashir said.

GM Bashir poses with his pistol during Asian Rifle/Pistol Championship 2024 in Jakarta. Facebook/Ghulam Mustafa Bashir

Bashir, who serves Pakistan Navy, said that he will work on mistakes which he committed during last Olympics.

“My target is to work on my mistakes which I committed at the Paris Games. I will inshaAllah give my best when the 2028 Olympics Qualifiers will begin next year,” he said.

Bashir believes that a solid plan and its execution leads an athlete towards success.

“First you need solid plans and its execution is even more important. For Paris Games things went well as we grew in a systematic way and I will credit the federation’s senior official Javed Lodhi who did smart planning by fielding us in international events so judiciously that we achieved our peak form close to Olympics. This is what you need and this is why plans are too important,” Bashir said.

“If you acquire peak form prematurely it will hurt you when you enter competition as your fall would have already started when you compete,” he pointed out.

Diet plan and discipline

Bashir said that he avoids eating chicken since it increases the heartbeat. A steady heartbeat helps regulate breathing, which is essential for precise shooting.

“I never eat chicken as it increases your heart beat. In shooting you need top control. I also rarely take cold drink. I don’t compromise on rest, go to bed early. Shooting makes your life disciplined and I am thankful to my family which has backed me a lot during my shooting career,” Bashir said.

“Before the event I rarely use cell phone as you need focus at that time. You start planning how to handle the things and so it’s important,” he added.

Bashir said that he has got the world’s latest machine and ammunition and so there is no excuse regarding resources.

“After taking a few days rest after Paris Games I have resumed my training and am fully focused on enhancing fitness which is the main thing if you are to perform,” Bashir concluded.