Heena Sidhu won the women’s air pistol gold 0.8 point ahead of compatriot Shweta Singh to provide a fitting climax for the host in the eighth Asian airgun championship at the Dr. Karni Singh Range, Tughlakabad, on Wednesday.
The gold and silver ensured that India matched Iran’s haul of six gold and five silver medals.
It also clinched the overall honours by virtue of bagging six bronze to Iran’s one.
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India won several medals in the junior events but some of them were not counted as they were categorised as Grand Prix because of a lack of sufficient entries. More than being relieved, the host must have been happy to get such a strong fight from Iran in a meet which did not have world leader China. The focus for everyone will be the Asian Championship scheduled in Kuwait in November, offering the last set of Olympic quota places for Rio.
The 26-year-old Heena, married to renowned shooter Ronak Pandit, was understandably happy with the gold, but not that pleased with the way she delayed her shots in the final.
“I pick up the pistol last, but I shoot in three to five seconds. Today, I was not happy with the timing. I was struggling with it,” revealed Heena, the World record holder who had won the World Cup Final gold in 2013.
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Incidentally, among the three Indians who had won the gold in the last championship, only Heena managed to defend the gold. The Indian team swept to the gold medal ahead of Sri Lanka, which was happy to get hold of a medal, four points ahead of Hong Kong. With only three teams in the race, Hong Kong did not get the bronze.
Shri Nivetha was a class act in the junior section as she pipped compatriots Gauri Sheoran and Shreya Gawande for the gold, in a field that had only four shooters.
The results:
10m air pistol: Women: 1. Heena Sidhu 197.8 (387); 2. Shweta Singh 197.0 (383); 3. Kim Seon A (Kor) 175.8 (378); 4. Yashaswini Singh Deswal 155.3 (387). MQS: Akanksha Bansal 378; Harveen Srao 377; Team: 1. India 1157; 2. Sri Lanka 1098; 3. Hong Kong 1094.
Juniors: 1. P. Shri Nivetha 200.7 (378); 2. Gauri Sheoran 198.0 (380); 3. Shreya Gawande 179.9 (380). MQS: Lavi Malik 365; Oshin Tawani 361; Team: 1. India 1138.
Youth: 1. Haniyeh Rostamiyan (Iri) 195.6 (374); 2. Laya Mohammadi (Iri) 195.4 (368); 3. Harshada Nithave 174.8 (373); 6. Malaika Goel 113.9 (374); 7. Nayani Bhardwaj 93.6 (369). MQS: Yogita Lamba 380; Swati Devadi 364.
Team: 1. India 1116; 2. Iran 1104; 3. Chinese Taipei 1100.