Commonwealth Games champion Samaresh Jung said he is now concentrating only on the air and free pistol events to secure an Olympic quota place at the earliest.
"My immediate goal is to secure an Olympic quota place, for which I will try at the World Cup in Brazil later this month," Jung said on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony at the residence of Home minister Shivraj Patil, in Delhi.
Air and free pistol are the Olympic events while center and standard pistol are not, because of which the shooter has decided to go about casually for these events.
"I am basically an air and free pistol shooter. I sometimes shoot centre and standard pistol also just for fun. But now I am focussing on the events of my preferences so that I get a quota place, which is my immediate goal," he said.
Jung, who was posted as inspector with the CISF, was on Tuesday promoted as assistant commander, and presented a cheque of Rs 500,000 for his feat of five gold, a silver and bronze at the recent Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Jung, who took a break from the ongoing Masters Meet at Jalandhar to attend the function, said he has set a target of earning a quota place by the year-end so that he could begin practice for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
"Since CISF is supporting me, I could improve my performance of two gold and a silver medal (in the Manchester edition of the Commonwealth Games) to five gold, one silver and one bronze this time around.
"By concentrating fully on the Olympic events, I will try to live up to everyone's expectations by garnering an Olympic medal," he said.
Jung said he became serious about the centre and standard pistol events only last November when he made it to the Commonwealth team.
"I made it to the team so I wanted to perform so that others do not have to pay because of me. But I have also learnt many things in these events which was not possible in the slow events," the Arjuna Awardee said.
Another CISF employee, Sushma Rana, who won a gold medal in the 25 metres pistol pairs event with Saroja Kumari at Melbourne, was also felicitated.
Sushma was promoted as assistant sub-inspector and presented a cheque of Rs 100,000 for her achievement.
The sister of famed pistol shooter Jaspal Rana was candid in admitting that she still has a long way to go.
"I need to improve my score to compete at the world level. But I am working on it, though I have not set any target for myself, like getting an Olympic berth by the year end or so," said Sushma, who also missed the Jalandhar Masters meet today.
Sonia Rana, a hawildar with the CISF and who missed the bronze by a whisker in the 10 m air pistol pairs event at the recent Games, said she would certainly make it to the medal bracket in the future events.
