The men’s 25m rapid fire pistol event at the Rio Olympics is going to be concluded today. The first stage of qualification was held yesterday and the second is scheduled for today along with the finals. India is being represented by one athlete – Gurpreet Singh – who finished 10 on day 1 of quaification.
The rapid fire event is one of it’s kind event where each shooter has to shooter a total of 60 shots – two identical stages of 30 shots, divided in three series of 10 shots each. The qualification round is followed by the final round where the top six shooters from the former are involved.
Here is everything you need to know about the event:
Live Telecast
Channel: Star Sports Network (Only finals)
Live Stream: starsports.com and Hotstar app (Only finals)
Date and Time: Saturday, 13 August 2016 – 12:00 GMT (17:30 IST)
Venue: National Shooting Centre, Deodoro, Rio De Janeiro.
You can also follow the live updates of both qualifying days and the finals on Sportskeeda
Also Read: Rio Olympics 2016: All you need to know about the men’s 25 metres rapid fire pistol event
Indian participating:
Gurpreet Singh: The 29-year old shooter could not do well in the 10m air pistol event earlier in the Games as he finished at the 20th spot in the event. The Armyman will look to rejuvenate himself and have another shot at the medals in this event. He is currently ranked 19th in the world in the 25m rapid fire pistol event but that does not make him a weak competitor.
Singh has not won any major medals in this category but his last victory came in the 25m rapid fire pairs event in the 2010 Commonwealth Games held in New Delhi where he won the gold medal. However, he could win his first individual medal at the Games if he delivers on the big stage.
Also Read: Rio Olympics 2016: Analysing Gurpreet Singh's medal chances at his first Olympics
Shooters to watch out for:
Leuris Pupo (Cuba): Cuba’s Leuris Pupo is the gold medalist from the 2012 London Olympics and will be looking to win his second straight gold medal in the event. The Cuban shooter has not been in the form of his life recently but can spring a surprise at the Games. He goes into the Olympics as the 13th ranked shooter in the world but his credentials indicate he could be in for more glory.
Fusheng Zhang (China): The Chinese is currently ranked number one in the world in the rapid fire event and will look to win his first gold medal at the Olympic Games. The shooter is making his debut at the Games at the age of just 23. He is already considered as one of the favorites to win the gold medal in the event as he comes on the back of two gold medals and one silver medal in the year 2016.
Christian Reitz (Germany): The German is currently ranked number two in the world and will be one of the medal hopefuls at the Games. The 29-year-old has been in good form ahead of Rio as he has won two gold medals and two bronze medals at the ISSF World Cups in the past two years. Reitz will be mindful of that fact that he missed the podium narrowly last time in London as he finished 6th but his bronze medal victory at the Beijing Olympics will instill confidence in the German ahead of the event.
