More medals next time...

Mumbai, Aug 17, 2004. It's a sunny Tuesday afternoon in Athens. Major Rajyavardhan Rathore's eyes are burning, his hands are steady and there's no hint of emotion on his face.
After nearly an hour of high-pressure, precision shooting, he has the Olympic men's double trap silver in his hands and the Tri-colour around his shoulders. It's a glorious moment for the army officer, and a historic day for Indian sport.
"I died many deaths inside to win this," he would say later, allowing himself the indulgence of a smile.But remind Rathore about that day, and he says, "I really don't want to live too much in the past. I'm one (of those) who looks ahead."
After some probing, Rathore confessed on Monday morning: "(It's) Undoubtedly a landmark day in my life. It's one of the greatest performances by one of us. But I never felt that I had achieved something. For me, it was an Indian on the podium. We're getting there, from bronzes to silver. One more step... Next time I hope there are more medals, the colour doesn't matter."
Rathore is, of course, referring to the third-place finishes of KD Jadhav (wrestling, 1952 Helsinki), Leander Paes (tennis, 1996 Atlanta) and Karnam Malleswari (weightlifting, 2000 Sydney). "This only goes to prove that if one passionately wants to achieve something and channelises everything into it, it can be done," he says.
Everybody warned him that life would never be the same. "As a person I'm still the same," he says. "But the time I give to my family has reduced drastically. The greatest thing is how people react now. Strangers shake hands and there's a lot of affection."
After the Olympics, there were expectations from Rathore that he will continue doing well. But he's yet to win anything this year (a 5th place at a World Cup is his best so far). Chilly (his nickname) remains calm and unaffected. "There's no embarrassment or hurt," he says.
"People need to understand that despite the change of equipment, I've finished in the top 10 in three World Cups. My worst has been a 14th place. Top 10 in the world is really good. But I want to attain consistency. I'm not looking for sparks of good performances. This year I can afford to experiment, but next year there are Olympic quota places coming up. Hopefully, it'll be better."
At 35, Rathore gives himself 10 to 15 years more. "I'm one of the fittest sportsmen in India. Age-wise I'm in my prime and I think my best is yet to come. I want to achieve more and I'm my greatest motivator. I've to satisfy myself first."
Though the Olympics are more than three years away, Rathore is gearing up for it. "I'm training four times harder," he says. "I'll accept whatever happens on that day as I know I have put in my best effort."