Radhir a natural shooter, good human being: Moraad Ali Khan

Former India shooter Moraad Ali Khan paid rich tributes to veteran sports administrator Randhir Singh, terming him as a “natural shooter and a good human being”.

Singh died at his New Delhi residence on Wednesday after battling age-related ailments, marking the end of an era in the country’s sporting landscape on which he left a lasting impact in varied roles. He was 79 and had undergone hospitalisation for several days before breathing his last. He is survived by his wife Vinita and three daughters — Mahima, Sunaina and Rajeshwari, who is also a shooter.

Arjuna awardee and a gold medallist at the 1996 Manchester Commonwealth Games, Khan visited Randhir’s Shanti farmhouse here on Wednesday to pay his last respects.

“He was a phenomenal and natural shooter, he never used to practice like everybody else used to do. Whenever he used to be on the range, he used to be focused and he used to finish the task,” Khan told PTI.

“He had that killer instinct. When he needed to perform at will, he used to perform and that is a sign of a champion.”

Recalling Singh and his achievements, Khan said: “He was the first gold medallist in shooting at the Asian Games, a phenomenal achievement at that time because there were not many facilities or government support, unlike what these youngsters get today. We were in the same team. We created a record also. We created an Asian record. But unfortunately, he stopped shooting after that. It was only for the Asian Games in Hiroshima that he was part of the team. After that, he had stopped shooting.”

Khan, who is the only shooter from India to have won international medals in both trap as well as double trap events, remembered Singh as an able and approachable administrator.

“As an administrator, he used to make everyone feel very comfortable, which was very necessary because every sportsperson used to go to him with some problem and he used to make sure he can give the solution. He was liked by everyone. I have not seen anybody who used to say a bad word about him,” he said.

“I happened to be with him in Copenhagen for the 13th Olympic Congress. He was an IOC member for the longest time. Every IOC member used to respect him.”

Asked how he would remember Singh, who belonged to the Royal family of Patiala, Khan said: “I will remember him as a very good human being. You have to be a good human being first to be a good shooter or a good administrator. And he was a phenomenally good human being. He used to empathise with the people and try to solve their problems.”