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India's 13-member Tokyo Olympics-bound shooting team has ramped up their preparations for the Games with strong performances at the European Championships in Osijek, Croatia.
Saurabh Chaudhary and Elavenil Valarivan led the charge for India on the opening day of the event. Competing as a guest invitee, the Indians could only shoot in Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) section, due to which their scores were not considered for medals.
World Cup gold medalist Chaudhary stamped his class, shooting a classy 589 to finish on top in the MQS in men's 10m air pistol. Chaudhary finished way ahead of Ukraine's Oleh Omelchuk, who topped the main qualification round with a score of 586. His compatriot and double World Cup gold medalist Abhishek Verma came fourth with a score of 579.
On the women's side, World No. 1 Elavenil Valarivan was in irrepressible form as she topped the chart in the 10m Air Rifle's MQS with a high score of 630.4. Her score would have assured her a second spot to advance to the finals, behind World No. 2 Ziva Dvorsak of Slovenia. While Apurvi Chandela finished fourth with a score of 627.8, World Championships silver medalist Anjum Moudgil shot 624.7 to finish seventh.
World Cup silver medalist Divyansh Singh Panwar came out all guns blazing in the men's 10m Air Rifle event, finishing second with a score of 628.10. His countrymen Deepak Kumar and Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar finished third and fifth with scores of 627.4 and 625.0 respectively.
In the women's 10m Air Pistol, shooters Yashaswini Singh Deswal and Manu Bhaker did not look their usual self as they shot scores of 572 and 573 respectively.
Also Read: Tokyo Olympics will be our best-ever Olympic performance, says shooter Abhishek Verma
Competing alongside top European shooters is a great advantage ahead of the Tokyo Olympics: Divyansh Panwar's coach
Meanwhile, World No. 1 air rifle shooter Divyansh Panwar's coach Deepak Dubey has said that competing alongside the top European shooters at the continental meet will help the Indian contingent gauge their level ahead of the Olympics.
"The European Championships is an important preparatory tournament for our shooters two months before the Tokyo Olympics. This is a great opportunity for all of them. We are sincerely thankful to the NRAI whose consistent efforts helped us participate in the event. Competing alongside top European shooters is a great advantage," Deepak told Sportskeeda.
Also Read: Training in Croatia will help me perform better at Tokyo Olympics, says shooter Anjum Moudgil
He further added that Indian shooters are learning to adapt to the new normal by means of frequent testing and maintaining social and behavioral norms. Despite the challenges, the mindset has been positive for the Indian contingent.
"The COVID-19 and its mutant strains are a big challenge to us. Keeping fit always and staying COVID free is important for all of us here. We are still adjusting to all of this. We are not allowed to enter the range premises without the RT-PCR test proof. Despite these challenges, we have been training hard and only focusing on the good things. The positive mindset is crucial for the shooters to give their best in Tokyo," Dubey explained.
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