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Shooting
By Kamesh Srinivasan
He needed to shoot a good score to prop up his chances after a below par 281 on the first day of the event. Ronak responded to the challenge, despite running a fever, as he returned cards of 98 and 99 in the eight-second and six-second series. There was hope that the Mumbai lad had learnt his lessons, but he undid his good work. The eight-second series gave him a lot of confidence, and Ronak shot nine 10s in a row in the next two series. And when he came to the tenth shot, in his anxiety to get a perfect 100, he pulled the trigger before reaching the centre. Ronak slapped his thigh in disappointment at the 100 eluding him. Moreover, the thoughts of being sharp in poor health for the demanding four-second series plagued his mind, and Ronak was understandably below par as he shot rounds of 45 and 45, with an eight in each of them. After the 281, it was a better fare as Ronak got a 287, but it could have easily been a 297, as the lad always shoots his four-second series better than the other two, because of his temperament. ``After the two good series, the thoughts of a medal, and all the calculations must have come to his mind. He demands too much out of himself and that invariably pulls him down. He has the talent but not the experience. He will learn'', said the national coach Prof. Sunny Thomas. With the gold and silver going at 582, there was no question of Ronak getting to a sniffing distance of the top but he could have even won a medal, or finished respectably, rather hit a new personal best. As it turned out, the bronze went at 576, a score well within reach of Ronak, considering his fine start. Jaspal Rana's national record of 579 set as far back as in 1999 in Atlanta, was intact but Ronak reaching a 578 was not ruled out, till the lad himself spoilt the show, and finished ninth in a field of 25 shooters. Having shot a 50 in winding up the four-second series on Monday, Ronak himself was confident of making a match of it, but could not muster enough mental energy for the act. It was no doubt an improvement from his overnight position of 15th, but Ronak could have been fourth, a position that went to Denis Koulakov of Russia at 572. ``After my sighter series when I had four 9s, Tibor Sir called me and told me to look at the foresight. It was so basic. I started doing it consciously and got those fine shots. But for hurrying the tenth shot in the six-second series, it would have been a 100 there. I didn't have the confidence for the four-second series'', said Ronak. The national coach said that the boy should not expect to shoot his trial scores in international competitions straightaway, as it takes some doing even for the seasoned shooters. But nothing teaches you better than going through the experience yourself. ``I am learning. Maybe when I go to the Olympics I would have learnt enough'', said Ronak, as he composed himself. ``It is not easy to get everything right for all the three series. They have planned this match very well, and you have to be at your best physically and mentally to shoot a good score. You need to have a perfect rhythm'', said Ronak's father, Ashok Pandit, who has helped his son get a headstart over the rest with his own vast experience. Considering what had happened in the Indian camp over the past fortnight, it did not come as a surprise when Ronak's form took a sudden dip and he shot the 90 in the four-second series. It was a question of when things would go wrong, and not how. For, that in short, has been the story of the Indian team in this championship. The team leaves for Britain on the morrow to compete in the Commonwealth Games, hoping to win some medals there. The results: Junior men's rapidfire pistol: 1. Martin Behrendt (Ger) 582 (140), 2. Thomas Muller (Ger) 582 (136), 3. Martin Podhrasky (Cze) 576, 9. Ronak Pandit 568.
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