INTERVIEW WITH IULIAN RAICEA
Iulian Raicea of Romania won bronze in Rapid Fire at the Sydney Olympics. We talked to him soon after.
How did you get started shooting?
It was my father who got me started. I tried different sports, but I didn’t do well. Finally I found shooting and I enjoyed it.
How old were you?
I was about twelve and a half. I got a little more serious at fourteen.
Did you start out with precision shooting or Rapid Fire?
First time I started with Air Pistol, I was too young for the other events. Then I tried Free Pistol and in 1987 I started Rapid Fire. That was when I got really serious. I can say that I was working very hard all year and after five or six months of Rapid Fire every day, I shot 590 on the old targets, and a few times around 87, 88.
What brand of gun do you use?
Now I am shooting with Pardini. The Schumann model is very good.
Do you have the electronic trigger?
No, I have the mechanical trigger. The electronic is not for everybody. There are a few different kinds made right now and Ralf is not selling to anybody. The Pardini company have made something that might be available next year. There is another choice, made by another German shooter, it was made by him by hand. But it would not work for me.
How do you train? Do you always live fire?
I train very little. It’s not very good but it’s a way I find to work (for me). I hope I will make it more, but in any sport I suppose it’s not so important to work more but to work well. Better less than wrong. At the moment I’m looking for better ways to prepare for big events, in tactics, techniques, psychologically. I suppose I’ll find some good ideas somewhere and I should work a little more.
Do you work or do you only shoot?
I am sponsored by a company from Romania to shoot, like a semi-professional situation.
Now that you’ve won (a bronze medal) when you go home will you be a hero, will everybody know you?
Well actually I feel I lost. Usually I shoot very well in Finals, I should have made a little more. The result was not so good. So I considered more that I lost than I won. It’s not so bad for me. I believe in God and I consider God gave me exactly what I should have for my heart and my mind. So I have to continue, to try to make something more.
Does your faith in God help you with your mental approach while you’re shooting?
It certainly helps me. Believing in God helps me. Just to think of this, once a week or once a month, it means another way of life, completely different. Because our life is usually based on science, and science has broken from religion, they are two different points of view. My whole psychology program is based on this (faith).
What’s the funniest thing that ever happened to you while you were shooting?
The most interesting moment is when you win, and especially when you win without having too many chances. This is really pleasant, when it happens. Even here, I shot very badly in the Final, but luckily I won the bronze medal, so this is very pleasant.
How do you set your sights? Do you shoot center?
Yes, on these targets I put my sights a little below the white line (on the electronic targets). On the normal paper targets I shoot a little under the center line, just on the bottom of the ten.
How do you train the different time series?
I don’t make any differences, just go a little faster. Last time I tried to be more precise in 8 and 6, and I think I lost a lot because I was thinking about the bull all of the time. By trying just a little less in 8 and 6 it was better because when I was shooting in 4 seconds after 8 and 6 it was very easy. This time I lost control in 4 seconds because I was thinking about 8 and 6, it makes you a little more scared about 4. I don’t think it’s good.
What kind of ammunition are you shooting?
I’m shooting RWS R25, and I feel good with it. It’s different from Fiocchi, for example. The explosion is stronger, but the fact that it’s sharper it helps me a lot because the recoil is shorter in time and I can control it better.
What is something you would tell a junior shooter just starting out?
There are a lot of things. I can tell you a quote from the Bible. Look for the Kingdom of God and everything will come. I think this is the most important I can say.
Well, I wish you the best for the future.
Thank you. Well, nobody knows the future, only God, so we just have to pray and accept anything that happens.