Tazeem is one-woman army in Pak team

[Choppers]

Tazeem is one-woman army in Pak team​

Biju Babu Cyriac | TNN

New Delhi: She lives in a hilly region near Islamabad. She is the seventh child of a Zamindar. And she is a shooter by profession.

But that is not her real claim to fame. Tazeem Abbasi is very special here at the Commonwealth Games because she is the only woman competitor in Pakistan’s formidable 75-member contingent.Pulling back her scarf to flash a sweet smile, she said: ‘‘I am delighted to be here. It feels just like home.’’

Speaking exclusively to TOI in the presence of her coach, she added: ‘‘I don’t feel like I am away at all. Everybody in the team feels that way too. Indeed, everyone here has been very nice.’’

Tazeem has already finished one event: the 25m sport pistol. She failed to qualify for the finals though. But she is hopeful of doing better in the 10m pistol event on October 13.

Tazeem’s presence itself, though, is really fascinating. ‘‘I took up competitive shooting just five years back. I saw an advertisement, about selection trials. I turned up along with 29 others. Only two of us got selected,’’ she said proudly.

The other Pakistan shooter, riflist Atlya, hasn’t made it to the Games here.Tazeem, a SAF Games silver medallist, could only train for four months for the CWG. “I get complete support from my family,’’ she said. ‘‘But we don’t get any formal coaching in Pakistan. Most of us train on our own,” she added. Incidentally, she doesn’t even have her own weapon.

Not too surprisingly, it wasn’t easy to speak with Tazeem to start with. ‘‘Sorry. We have been told not to speak to the media,’’ her coach, Razi Ahmed Khan, said. Both relented only after they were assured that no controversial topic would be raised. Even then, it required a green signal, over phone, from their chef-de-mission.

The big-ticket experience has expectedly done a world of good for her. She feels more confident now and wants to pursue her shooting career even more seriously. ‘‘I want to come back to India for training,’’ she said.

“After watching Anisa Sayyed, who has bene a friend since the SAF Games, and Rahi Sarnobat, I’m determined to work hard and shoot well. Given a chance to come back here for training,” she added.

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