Mustafa confident he will do well today

PARIS: Ghulam Mustafa Bashir, the World Shooting Championship bronze medalist, is in an upbeat mood ahead of his 25m Rapid Fire Pistol competition at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, situated 120 miles away on the outskirts of Paris, on Sunday (today).

Talking to The News, the most famous of the shooters in Pakistan Mustafa said he was all set to make his mark in the event. “My training has been going fine and I am in the best shape to compete in the event.

It is the same event in which I put up my best efforts to surprise many on my way to winning the bronze at the World Championship. The field is not unfamiliar for me as I have already competed in the company of the same world level shooters,” Mustafa said.

On Sunday he will be seen shooting 30 fires with 30 more to be fired the next day before the top six start competing for the medals.

“The opening round on Sunday is very important as it will set the tone for the next day. A good opening round will help me gain the required confidence for the next stage,” Mustafa said.

On his form and training he said he has been going through a purple patch as he maintains good scores even in the training. “All depends on how I make the best of opportunity going into the Sunday competition,” he said.

His competition will be held at 9 am France Time and 12noon Pakistan time.

Mustafa is one of the two main hopes for Pakistan in the Paris Olympics. The other is javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem, who will be seen in action on Tuesday.