Anish Bhanwala bridged the gap between promise and potential as he fired a silver medal in the dynamic rapid fire pistol event at the ISSF World Championship in Cairo on Sunday. It turned out to be an intense final featuring the creme de la creme. In the end, when Bhanwala, 23, won silver, after two tie-breakers, he smiled and thanked his stars. “This medal has been a long time coming. If I break it down and pinpoint it to one specific aspect, it’s about how I peaked for this event. I always prepare 100 per cent, but if you see the match, what made the impact was being mentally strong. This is, definitely, a big medal for me,” Bhanwala told mid-day on Monday.

Break after Paris Olympics 

People talk of a turning point, an important moment in sport from where there can be only an upward curve. Bhanwala had worked hard for the Paris Olympics, but failed to medal. There are many athletes, who are happy with just making it to the Olympics. Not Bhanwala. “After the Olympics, I had taken a break of about four months and wanted to get back fresh. That made a lot of difference. I’ve dealt with eye issues and had relied on Ayurveda when I was on a break,” said Bhanwala, not going into specifics about his condition but revealing it’s “an accommodative eye spasm.”