London Olympics silver medallist Vijay Kumar, undergoing treatment for a neck injury, is desperate to avoid a race against time ahead of the World Championships and Asiad, stage where he would look to make amends for his shocking exit at Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
“I am rushing off to see a doctor now. I have muscle break on my neck and that is causing some problems. I am hoping to be fit for the World Championships. Let’s see how it goes,” said Vijay.
Vijay, who will turn 29 on August 19, has been battling a recurring shoulder injury. For him, the routine now goes like competition, rehabilitation followed by competition again.
The outing at Glasgow was an unremarkable one, but that is history now, and the army shooter is eagerly looking forward to future tournaments.
“I am trying to be fit for the upcoming tournaments and I will give my level best to win a medal for the country,” the unassuming shooter, posted at the Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) in Mhow since 2003, said.
In Asian Games, Vijay will be part of the centre fire pistol team alongside Pemba Tamang and Gurpreet Singh. Vijay had failed to qualify for the finals of rapid fire pistol at the just-concluded Glasgow CWG after finishing seventh in the qualifying.
Vijay, who had won a silver in his pet event — 25-metre rapid fire pistol in 2012 Olympics — had sustained a shoulder injury couple of months prior to the multi-sport extravaganza in London two years ago.
Just before the 2012 Olympic Games, he recovered, even though just momentarily, before it returned to make life difficult for him.
The dip in his performance in recent times can be attributed to the injury. Owing to poor last six scores, Vijay missed out on a berth in his pet event for the upcoming Asian Games, scheduled to be held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19. Prior to that, the World Championships will be held in Granada, Spain from September 6.
