It went down to the wire. And, consequently, it was more a battle of nerve than skill before P.N. Prakash (Karnataka) had the last laugh over the rest of the field in the men’s 50m pistol competition of the 35th National Games here on Monday.
Similarly, it was with a clear head and a steady hand under pressure that Pooja Ghatkar (Maharashtra) won the women’s 10m air rifle event.
The events which saw the triumph of the duo had their share of shock too; the fancied Jitu Rai and Apurva Chandela, widely expected to win the gold medals in these events, finished with bronzes instead.
Rai, the lone Indian shooter to have made the grade for the next year’s Olympic Games in Rio-de-Janeiro, was hardly in the race as he struggled to find form. “I found the conditions too hot and was unable to concentrate,” he said.
With a great final round, it was Amandeep Singh (Punjab) who seemed to have sealed the gold, holding a one-point lead over Prakash before going into the 20th and final shot.
However, he blew it, shooting a mere 7.1 as Prakash shot 10.3 to collar the title with a total of 189.5 points.
“I just stuck to the basics and kept my cool,” an elated Prakash said.
Apurva, the 2014 Glasgow CWG champion, was the early leader in the women’s 10m air rifle before she slipped up midway through.
What followed was an exciting battle for supremacy between Pooja and teammate Ayonika Paul.
And, with Apurva too staging a comeback, it turned to be a real touch-and-go affair before the Rajasthan shooter lost out in a shoot-off with Ayonika after 18 shots.
Pooja had a total of 187.7 points, just a 0.3-point lead over Ayonika, going into the home stretch, and both shooters ended up with tally of 208.1 points, necessitating a shoot-off.
In the tie-breaker, Pooja shot a 10.7 to take the gold ahead of Ayonika who could only come up with a 10.5.
The results: Men: 50m pistol: 1. P.N. Prakash (Kar), 189.5 points, 2. Amandeep Singh (Pun), 187.4, 3. Jitu Rai (Ser), 168.1. Team: 1. Services, 1667, 2. Punjab, 1643, 3. Haryana, 1612.
Women: 10m air rifle: 1. Pooja Ghatkar (Mah), 208.1 (10.7), 2. Ayonika Paul (Mah), 208.1 (10.5), 3.Apurva Chandela (Raj), 187.4. Team: 1. Maharashtra, 1241.4, 2. Rajasthan, 1233.0, 3. Uttar Pradesh, 1232.9.
