The Hindu : Sport / Shooting : Samaresh on target in four events

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Sunday, Sep 23, 2007
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Sport - Shooting

Samaresh on target in four events

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: He is still looked up to as the hero of the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. Not many realise that pistol ace Samaresh Jung has an Olympic quota place in air pistol for the Beijing Games.

While pistol genius Jaspal Rana has been engrossed in winning dozens of medals in the non-Olympic events over the years, Samaresh has managed to strike a balance as the results testify.

In the ongoing trials to select the team for the Asian championship, Samaresh has shot 15 matches so far in four events and leads in three of them.

He figures second in the centrefire pistol event and could take the leading position after the last trial on Sunday.

The 37-year-old Samaresh categorically stated that his focus is only on the Olympic events — air pistol and free pistol.

And he dismissed any suggestion that he may be upsetting his preparation for the Olympic Games in trying to handle too many guns at the same time.

Recreational events

“The other two events — standard and centrefire — are basically recreational events for me.

All the pistol events are the same. There is just a bit of change in technique.

“I am shooting standard pistol just to break the monotony of shooting the slow events. I am enjoying it overall and it is not such a burden at this stage,” added Samaresh, quite relaxed after a hectic day at the Dr. Karni Singh Range in Tughlakabad.

Dismissing the idea of gunning for medals in a competition in which he has made only the final once in the last two editions in 2000 and 2004, Samaresh said he would be happy to shoot good scores in air pistol and free pistol, and possibly make the final. “I am not thinking of individual medals. I had made the free pistol final the first time, but shot a bad final. I have gained a lot of experience and hope to do well,” said Samaresh.

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