Teenage pistol prodigy has gold in his sights

NEW DELHI－Thailand's James Bond-loving ace sport shooter says he is unfazed by his older opponents as the high-school prodigy sets his sights on World Cup gold in India this week.

Isaranuudom Phurihiranphat is the youngest competitor at the tournament and the 14-year-old faces a strong field in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event.

"I know I am the youngest in these games. There is tough competition but I don't feel any pressure. I stay relaxed and calm when I shoot," he told AFP after practice at a Delhi shooting range.

"Of course I'll go for gold. I feel I can do it. My aim is to participate in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," he added.

Isaranuudom said his love of British spy movies motivated him to become a full-time sporting shooter at the age of 9.

"I liked guns since I was a small boy. I also watched a lot of James Bond movies," he said. "My favorite is Johnny English," he added, referring to the slapstick British spy film franchise.

But his parents have also motivated him all of the way, with his mother, Phon Phak, traveling with her only child to the Indian capital as one of the Thailand shooting squad's managers.

"My father is a captain of a ship and my mother runs a business. They helped me pursue my sport full-time. My mother travels with me to all events and she wants me to do something more than just study."

Phon is all praise for Isaranuudom's "focus" at such a young age as she recalls his early trips to the Bangkok shooting academy from their home four hours away in Nakhon Ratchasima.

"He is very focused regarding his shooting career which is rare at such a young age. He just loves the sport and will achieve great heights," she told AFP.

"It was not easy traveling from our hometown to the Bangkok shooting range where he trained during his holidays. But I am always there with him," she added.

Isaranuudom is still searching for his first medal in a senior competition after representing Thailand at the Asian Games in Indonesia and the world championships in South Korea.

The Delhi event is the teenager's fourth World Cup tournament after competing in junior events, and he has more than 10 medals in international competitions.

"I started as an air-pistol shooter when I was 9 years old. But I realized that I wasn't too good at it, so switched to 25-meter rapid fire and got results in just two years," he said.

"I like rapid fire because it's fast, I don't like things slow. I shot in my first competition in 2015 in a Thailand event and got gold."

The tournament in Delhi concludes on Thursday.

AFP