Anish Bhanwala, India’s lone entry in men’s 25m pistol event, nailed only 11 of 15 by the end of the third series in the final, finishing seventh out of eight shooters, bringing the curtain down on an underwhelming run. New Delhi: The end was emblematic of the entire campaign.
How shooters fare generally dictates how the entire contingent will fare,” then rifle coach Suma Shirur had told this correspondent three years ago in Hangzhou where Indian shooters delivered their best ever result, winning 22 medals, including 7 gold. China won 29 shooting medals to finish on top but the gap seemed to be narrowing. NRAI also introduced a Moving Average Method that took into account performances from the previous year and said the latest five scores would be considered with the average of the best four forming the final score. “Last time, we had Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, who had won medals in both his events (rifle 10m and 50m 3P) but he couldn’t deliver this time. The gold was there for the taking for both Elaveil and Rudrankksh (in men’s 10m air rifle final) and both lost to nerves,” former rifle shooter Joydeep Karmakar said.
“We are often expected to deliver first day, first show, and frankly, we take pride in it. “It’s not the performance we were expecting. We had high hopes, but it is what it is. After the Paris Olympics, the shooters were divided into two groups, with one consisting of elite prospects. The method had its detractors, but the shooters came around. These things happen. In the women’s 10m air rifle final for instance, Elavenil conceded her lead to finish second as her opponent shot a Games record to snatch gold. “There is definitely the need for shooters to step up in the finals. Ronak Pandit, the 25m pistol national coach, agreed. “Look, all the coaches and athletes worked extremely hard. We did countless simulations and match scenarios, trained for every eventuality but you can’t really dictate what a shooter does in the final.
We will go back to the drawing board and analyse the results,” national coach Samaresh Jung said. “I don’t think selection policy is to be blamed here… The responsibility rests with shooters, coaches and the support staff,” national rifle high-performance coach Manoj Kumar said. The margins in rifle shooting are extremely small,” he said. That said, once again shooters’ handling of nerves under pressure came under the scanner. Esha could do it, but the more experienced ones couldn’t,” he said, referring Rahi Sarnobat and Manu Bhaker.
