Tomoyuki Matsuda, a Japanese policeman from Yokohama, only narrowly escaped when massive earthquakes hit north-east Japan on 11 March 2011, devastating Ishinomaki city where he was competing in Japan's national airgun championships - just two weeks ahead of the International Shooting Sport Federation world cup in Sydney, Australia.
Matsuda was training in Ishinomaki, near the epicentre of the quakes. He and his teammates struggled to stay upright in the range where they were practising. The tsunami that followed swept away their hotel under a massive tide of mud and water.
Many members of Japan's national shooting team who work for the police and military were forced to pull out of the world cup the to join the rescue mission in north-east Japan. Matsuda felt he should go with them, but his boss told him his duty was to go to Australia and represent Japan.
"He told me that it's especially at times like this you should compete, for the people affected by the disaster," MATSUDA said at that time.
There, the Japanese shooter put in an outstanding performance - winning the top spot in the men's 10m air pistol and men's 50m pistol events.
He dedicated his victories to the earthquake and tsunami victims at home.
"I thought, 'What I can do at this moment is to get a result'," he said afterwards. "Conversely, it created pressure for me, but I thought I must win in this circumstance."
MATSUDA had already got his place in Japan's Olympic team by winning the men's 50m pistol world championship at Munich in 2010, but his victory in Australia changed the way he views shooting.
"Previously I thought of myself as a policeman who was involved in the sport," he says. "Now I think of myself more as an athlete."
He also feels better able to cope with the pressure of competition: "I have bombed out under pressure many times before. The world cup was my turning point. Now I feel I have the skills to deal with the pressure, and this gives me confidence."
Matsuda won’t be alone, on the firing line of the Royal Artillery Barracks. The current 10m Air Pistol Men Olympic Champion, China’s Pang Wei was unable to reach his best performance during the last Olympic cycle. The 26-year old shooter – who married to 10m Air Rifle Olympic Champ Du Li after the 2008 Games - finished on a couple of podiums in this event, and scored some good results in the 50m Pistol Men event. But even if he lost several spots in the world ranking, he could still give some headaches to Matsuda.
Korea’s 50m Pistol Olympic Champion Jin Jong Oh, will compete in both the Pistol Men events – and will start the 10m Air Pistol Men event as the world rank leader. Jin scored the highest qualification of the last cycle, with a personal best of 594 points, and one of the best finals, 103.4 points. In addition, he confirmed to be in great shape at the last ISSF World Cup Stage of the year, held in Munich at the end of May, when he won both the pistol men events.
His young team-mate Lee Daemyung, 24 years old, also finished under the spotlights by winning the Gold medal at the pre-Olympic ISSF World Cup on the lines of the RAB Final Hall in London last April.