Teenager Nancy Mandhotra overcame stiff competitors from compatriot Elavenil Valkarivan to win the ladies’s 10m air rifle gold medal on the Asian Olympic Qualifier in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The competitors confirmed the depth of expertise India has within the occasion with Mehuli Ghosh, who had already bagged a quota place for the Paris Olympics, ending fourth. Tilottama Sen, 15, has additionally clinched a spot for India on the Video games to be held within the French capital later this 12 months.
Kurukshetra’s 19-year-old Mandhotra, who had received a bronze on the ISSF World Cup in Baku final 12 months, started the ultimate with 4 of her first 5 photographs in extra of 10.5 and was positioned second behind Valarivan after the primary sequence.
Gold🥇 Silver🥈! Unbelievable double podium end but once more as Nancy (proper) & @elavalarivan end 1-2 in ladies’s air rifle on the #AsianOlympicQualification in Jakarta 🇮🇩 . Beautiful capturing!🔥🔥🇮🇳🇮🇳#IndianShooting pic.twitter.com/btKfe6CzB8
— NRAI (@OfficialNRAI) January 10, 2024
The second sequence of 5 noticed the Haryana teenager climbing to the highest with two photographs of 10.9. The elimination sequence would see Mandhotra capturing strongly however China’s Shen Yufan ran her shut. At one level, each Shen and Mandhotra had been tied at 210.7 with Valarivan solely 0.2 level behind with all three confirmed to win medals.
It was right here that the Chinese language shot a ten.0 on her twenty second shot to bow out. Mandhotra would then edge out Valarivan with a distinction of 0.1 level after the twenty fourth and last shot to win the gold.
“The competitors was stiff however I needed the gold. Our staff dominated and it actually seems like a hit for every one in every of us right here,” Mandhotra advised The Indian Categorical.
“The competitors was stiff however I needed the gold. Our staff dominated and it actually seems like a hit for every one in every of us right here,” Mandhotra advised The Indian Categorical.
Every one of many 5 Indian shooters in qualification boasted of getting an ISSF World Championship or World Cup medal beneath their belt. Asian Video games medallist Ramita Jindal had shot the second-best rating of 633.6 competing in RPO (Rating Factors Solely) class behind Valarivan’s 633.8 with Sen (RPO), Mandhotra and Ghosh capturing scores of 632.8, 632.4 and 631 respectively. Among the many high eight shooters in qualification, the highest 4 shooters had been Indian with Ghosh in sixth place leading to Mandhotra, Valarivan and Ghosh advancing to the ultimate from the 62-shooter discipline.
Not one of the Indian shooters had been eligible for a Paris Olympics quota in Jakarta however nationwide coach Suma Shirur is delighted with the sturdy batch. “Every one in every of them has a world cup or world championship medal and the truth that two of them had been capable of bag the quota and never depend upon the Asian qualifiers speaks of their confidence. They see the competitors amongst themselves as motivation. Such excessive scores in qualification right here means we’re on the correct path,” says Shirur.
A stellar efficiency by 🇮🇳 within the 10m Air Rifle Ladies’s Last at #AsianOlympicQualification in Jakarta!
Congratulations to our champion shooters:
🥇 Nancy clinches the gold!
🥈 Elavenil secures a well-deserved silver!Excellent performances showcasing Indian prowess on… pic.twitter.com/pY1svjmoTM
— SAI Media (@Media_SAI) January 10, 2024
The 5 shooters know that solely two of them can catch the flight to Paris. Valarivan, 24, who has gold medals within the World Cup Last and World Cup in her CV, desires to make amends for her Twelfth-place end in Tokyo. Ghosh is a one-time World Championship and World Cup bronze medallist whereas Jindal is a two-time world cup finalist aside from climbing the rostrum finally 12 months’s Asian Video games. Sen had bagged the Paris Olympic quota for India with a silver medal on the Asian Championships whereas Ghosh had received the quota with a bronze medal on the ISSF World Championships final 12 months.
With the Nationwide Rifle Affiliation of India (NRAI) arising with an amended choice coverage for the Paris Olympics, the shooters shall be eying the 4 trials in Could. Ghosh and Sen will mechanically qualify for the trials, however there shall be different worthy contenders as nicely. Sen and Ghosh will achieve a slight weightage for bagging the quota spots whereas Mandhotra and Valarivan, in the event that they qualify for the trials, too would see one level added to their rating scores since they had been in quota place in Jakarta however not eligible as a result of India bagging two quotas earlier.
“Each Tilottama and Nancy are younger however have been very open to regardless of the coaches have charted for them. Ramita too has been in advantageous type. Mehuli received the bronze within the World championship in a aggressive discipline and that gave her lots of confidence. Elavenil has been some of the skilled shooters within the lot. Coming right here, we labored on some technical elements in her capturing aside from reinforcing some minor issues,” says Shirur.