Athens Olympics silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore may soon face the challenge of his coach, Australian Russel Mark, in next year's Commonwealth Shooting Championships.

"He never retired. It's just that he could not compete in Olympics because he did not qualify," Rathore said.

Asked about Mark's availability to train him, Rathore said he is waiting to know the Aussie's plans.

"I have got a verbal assurance from him after I agreed to his demands. Now I am waiting to know in which all places Russel will compete," he said on Friday.

The 40-year-old Mark, Australia's best-known shooter, has emerged from semi-retirement after missing a ticket to Athens. He won the double trap gold in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 and four years later picked the silver in Sydney.

Mark recently told an Australian newspaper that he would not have beaten Ahmed Al Maktoum in Athens but felt Rathore was well within his reach.

"That [Rathore's score of 179] I would probably shoot every day of my life for practice," Mark had said.

Ahead of his first competition -- the Indian national championships -- after the Olympics, the 34-year-old Indian said he has still not made up his mind whether to compete in Melbourne in March.

"My focus is to do well in the World Shooting Championships coming up in Lonato, Italy in May," said Rathore, who had shot down a bronze in the last edition of the Meet in Cyprus.

Rathore, whose historic win made a billion Indians sit up and take notice of the army Major from Rajasthan, said he enjoyed all the adulation that came his away after August 17, the day he won the silver.

"In a sportsman's life there are more downs than ups. So it is nice to get all the accolades from the people after all the hard work one had put in," Rathore said.

"But past is gone and you have to look forward," said the star marksman never ready to rest on his laurels.

Asked how long he intends to continue, Rathore felt he can easily look forward to at least two more Olympics.

"If you take the case of Al Maktoum, he is 41. So I can look forward to another two Games. But it all depends on how much one wants to sacrifice. It's also a matter of one's motivation," he said.

On Saturday, Rathore will start another journey at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range as he gets back to competitive mould in the National Shooting (shot gun) Championships.