Shooter Mustafa optimistic about qualifying for finals in Tokyo

ISLAMABAD: Experienced shooter Ghulam Mustafa Bashir Wednesday expressed his confidence about crossing the first hurdle on August 1 and qualifying for the finals in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol category at the Asaka Shooting Range on the outskirts of Tokyo.

Talking to ‘The News’ through telephone from Tokyo, one of the medal aspirants in the category, Ghulam Mustafa said together with his countrymen Khalil Akhtar, he was training hard for the deciding day. Both Pakistani shooters will be seen vying for the same medals at the Tokyo Olympics. Both have the honours of directly qualifying for the event.

“Though Khalil is in the Olympics for the very first time, it is my second Olympics. I have the experience of featuring in the Olympics previously as I was there in the Rio Olympics. My experience will definitely benefit my partner who is new on this stage,” Ghulam Mustafa said.

The renowned shooter who is considered as the best in the country said, the shooting range in Tokyo had been so busy these days.

“Because of competition and practice, you cannot find practice time each day. So we have to wait for our turn and that sometimes comes after a day’s rest. Thank God we would be having back-to-back practice days ahead of our August 1 qualification round.”

Ghulam Mustafa added that their first effort would be to make it to the top six and qualify for the finals the next day (August 2).

“There are top 27 shooters from around the world competing in this category. We are two Pakistanis who for the first time are in the same category. Never before in Olympic history, have two Pakistani shooters qualified for the same Olympic event.