A puzzled Gagan Narang looked at Elizabeth Susan Koshy and exclaimed, “Why aren’t you excited?” Elizabeth, warding off competition from the likes of Anjali Bhagwat, Arjuna Awardee Rajkumari Rathore and Raj Chaudhary, had just won the women’s rifle 3-position gold at the 57th National Shooting Championship at the Dr Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad — her biggest achievement to date. For a 19-year-old, she wows you with her maturity and grace. “I don’t express much. I like to keep my emotions neutral and not get too ahead of myself” explains Eliza-beth. Her mother, Ani, says Elizabeth has always carried a mature head on her young shoulders. “She has always been like that. She is very down-to-earth. She behaved like a 10-year-old when she was five and talks like a 30-year-old now.”
Elizabeth was hooked from the very first time she held a gun in her hands and her progress in the sport in such a short span of time has been nothing short of astounding. Elizabeth is a keen observer but she claims to have no role models “Everyone has a unique style so I don’t try imitating anyone, but I watch the likes of Anjali Bhagwat and absorb as much as I can.” Elizabeth also enjoys a good rapport with Olympic medallist Gagan Narang “He is like a brother to me. I find him very approachable and he shares valuable tips with me. There is a natural competitive feel among the women so it’s easier to approach men for advice or tips on your game” says Elizabeth.
A BA in economics, this second-year student at St Theresa’s College, Ernakulam, views both sport and studies with equal importance. “Studies are important for me. Luckily, I have very helpful teachers who offer to take special classes to help me catch up and friends who lend me their notes helping me keep up whenever I miss classes.”
The multi-talented Elizabeth is also trained in classical dancing but when she was forced to make a choice, she prioritised shooting. “Ponnola (as Elizabeth is called at home) is a very talented dancer” says her mother, Ani, a dancer herself. “She would have made a very good dancer had she continued but her true calling was in shooting. It’s all God’s will. All credit for all her achievements goes to the Almighty for having blessed her with such talent.”
Elizabeth believes if it weren’t for her parents she would be nowhere near what she is today. “My parents have been very supportive of all the decisions I have taken ever since I expressed my interest in shooting,” she says. Pursuing a career in shooting is a costly affair but knowing her like only they do, they knew she wasn’t the kind of person to express interest on a mere whim and backed her financially and emotionally.
Ask her how she unwinds after a tiring day and she responds, “I don’t get much free time but when I do, I like to spend time with my family. I also enjoy listening to music, Hindi movie songs in particular.”
For a college student, it comes as a surprise that Elizabeth doesn’t have her own mobile phone which her mother reasons is a distraction. Elizabeth is determined to let nothing come in the way of her game and believes the senior gold at the 57th National Shooting Championship is just the beginning, with her eyes firmly set on winning a medal for the nation at the 2016 Rio Olympics. “That is my aim. I want to win a medal for India in Brazil.” Her focus and determination is in fact scary. But it’s also the stuff champions are made of.
The quick fire round
- Favourite song: Illayaraja classic Kanmani Anbodu from the Tamil movie Gunaah.
- Her mother says: She is a very obedient child and is very dedicated to what she does and also down-to-earth person. She is my best friend.
- When it all began: She was inspired to take up the sport after a pre-national shooting championship was held in her hometown Thodupuzha in 2006.
