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The Asian Airgun Championships proved to be a successful event for India as the likes of Abhinav Bindra, Ayonika Paul etc clinched medals in their respective categories. The four-day event saw India win a total of 8 medals and while there was joy for some, there was disappointment for others.Here are the top 5 takeaways from the competition:
#1 Abhinva Bindra still has the fire
For any sportsman, the ultimate glory is to be able to stand on the podium at the Olympics. The pinnacle would then to be able to stand on top of the podium. Abhinav Bindra was among the fortunate ones to have experienced that feeling when he clinched the historic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 10m Air Rifle event.
For some, moments such as these would be tempting enough to pack their equipment and wind up their careers. But Bindra, it seems is gunning for more glory. After winning the gold at the Commonwealth Games last year in Glasgow and then qualifying for the Rio 2016 at the Munich World Cup earlier this year, the 33-year-old added yet another feather to his cap by winning the gold at the Asian Airgun Championships with a final score of 208.3.
While Rio 2016 is in all likelihood going to be his final Olympics, there is doubting that Bindra is looking to finish on a high and it wouldn’t be too wrong on our part to not expect a medal from one of India’s greatest sportspersons and role-models.
#2 Gurpreet a force to reckon with
Among the 8 shooters who have made the cut for the Olympics, there are three, who may not be as popular among the public as the rest. One among them is Gurpreet Singh. The 28-year-old has been making rapid strides in the year 2015 and qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics in a slightly unusual manner.
On the 30th of May, the shooter missed the cut for the Olympics by a whisker in the 25m Rapid Pistol Fire event where he finished in 4th place. But little did her know that on the following day, there would be success awaiting him in the 10m Air Pistol event.
Gurpreet secured an Olympic quota after finishing fourth in the finals with a score of 154.8. He continued to show his mettle at the Asian Airgun Championships, where he clinched the silver medal in the Men’s 10m Air Pistol final with a score of 197.6.
The other Indian shooter in contention, Jitu Rai won the bronze medal after firing a score of 177.6 and while the likes of him, Gagan Narang, Abhinav Bindra etc will be among the contenders to get a medal at Rio, Gurpreet could well spring a surprise and further enhance India’s rich shooting history at the Games.
#3 Heena Sidhu wins gold but can do better
In the Women’s 10m Air Pistol, it was 1-2 finish for India as Heena Sidhu and Shweta Singh won the gold and silver medals respectively in the final. While during the course of the final, Sidhu remained in the top 3 for large periods and even fired a 10.7 on two separate occasions, but also fired many shots in the 9 range.
While those shots didn't matter a great deal in the end, as she won the gold medal, it certainly will come as a concern for her and she was seen shaking her head once the final concluded and also revealed after the final that she needed to shoot better in order to seal a berth for Rio.
Just like the Men’s Pistol final, India had two shooters on top of the podium in the Women’s event as well.
#4 Apurvi Chandela misfires
After India had won the gold on the opening day in the Men’s 10m Air Rifle event courtesy Abhinav Bindra, much was expected out of the Women’s 10m final the following and in particular, many eyes were on Apurvi Chandela, who was coming into the tournament on the back of a silver medal at the ISSF World Cup finals in Munich.
But the 22-year-old failed to make an impression in the final, being the first shooter to get eliminated with a score of 81.3. However, Ayonika Paul put up an impressive show, winning the bronze medal with a score of 185.0 which put hr in third place.
#5 The juniors bring glory
Along with the Seniors, there was also glory for India at the competition, courtesy the juniors. Satyajeet Khondhol won the gold medal in the Youth 10m Air Rifle final, firing a 204.8 in the final. There was joy in the Junior 10m Final as well as Pratik Borse won the silver, firing 203.9 in the final.
Aashi Rastogi won the gold in the Women’s Youth 10m Air Pistol final, shooting a score of 205.7 in the final. Shriyanka Sadangi won the bronze in the Junior Women’s 10m Air Rifle final with a tally of 185.4 in the final.
There was further glory for India in the Pistol category as well, as Mohit Gour won the bronze in the Youth Men’s 10m Air Pistol event. Sumedh Kumar and Hemendra Kushwah further raised the tally by winning the gold and the silver in the 10m Air Pistol Junior event.
Harshada Nithave won the bronze in the Women’s Youth 10m Air Pistol event while Shri Nivetha and Gauri Sheoran won the gold and the silver in the 10m Air Pistol Women’s Junior final.
