Chief national pistol coach Wajid Ali passes away

Chief national pistol coach Wajid Ali passes away PUNE: Indian shooting team's chief pistol coach Syed Wajid Ali passed away at the Balewadi shooting ranges on Monday evening.A respectable figure in the shooting fraternity, Wajid Ali, 59, had complained of chest pain in the morning and later had a massive heart attack before he breathed his last. A workaholic, Wajid sir, as he was known by the

shooters, was preparing the 25m range for Tuesday morning before he died. He was in Pune for the ongoing 60th National Shooting Championships.

"It is a big loss for all of us. He was straightforward and a jovial person. We will all miss him," said pistol shooter PN Prakash.

The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) secretary Rajeev Bhatia said: "It is very unfortunate to lose a great human being. Minutes before he died, we were discussing plans for the next year. He was an efficient man and knew things that he can do. He never minced words in expressing his views. It is a great loss to the fraternity."

Bhatia said that Wajid Ali has been in the shooting fraternity since past 25 years, first as shooter and later as official since past 15 years.

Shooter Ronak Pandit was at the shooting range when Wajid Ali got the attack. He, along with Nationals' convenor Pawan Singh took him to the nearest hospital. "I was packing my gun bag when a fellow shooter shouted and called me at the range. I saw Wajid sir lying unconscious on the chair. We didn't waste any time and took him to the nearest hospital. We reached there within 20 minutes, but he could not be saved," Ronak said.

Shooter Gurpreet Singh said Wajid Ali was the best person at the range. "He knew the rules very well. He was the person who would take on the spot calls during any crisis at the range. He was confident of his knowledge and a master at conducting matches. He will be missed not only for his knowledge, but also for the person he was," said Gurpreet.