Wednesday, May 22, 2002
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Shooting
By Our Special Correspondent
Putting her husband, Mandar Bhagwat's surname for the first time in an international competition, the 32-year-old Anjali performed a class act, as she led the eight finalists with a 399. She had a series of 100, 99, 100 and 100. The Russian, Lioubov Galkina who eventually pipped Anjali, with a 10.5 to 9.6 last shot, had also shot a 399 out of 400 with a series of 100, 100, 100 and 99 in the preliminary phase. The contest went to the wire from there, as Anjali matched the Russian shot for shot. In the final Anjali had a series of 9.2, 10.7, 10.5, 10.7, 10.1, 10.4, 10.8, 10.2, 10.4 and 9.6 for a total of 102.6, which fetched her the silver at 501.6 a good 2.4 points ahead of the bronze medallist Martina Prekel of Germany. More than being disappointed at the gold eluding her grasp after she had led by 0.2 points after nine shots in the final, Anjali was thrilled about getting the Olympic quota. Since Galkina had won the sport rifle three-position quota in the recent World Cup in Sydney, she was not eligible to win any more quotas for her country, despite winning the gold in another event, as per the ISSF rules. Galkina had a 103.3 in the final, the best among the finalists, to take the gold at 502.3. The CISF inspector from Mumbai, Anjali had won the silver in the Sydney World Cup, and had missed a medal with a mysteriously below par last shot in Shanghai. This was her seventh final appearance in air rifle in a World Cup. Anjali had to wait for a hardship quota for competing in the last Olympics in Sydney. There was a lot of suspense before Anjali got the green signal as the young Abhinav Bindra had been sanctioned a hardship quota earlier by the world body. Trap shooter Anwer Sultan alone had qualified among the Indian shooters for the last Olympic games by winning the silver in the Asian Championship. Anjali would be eligible to compete in the 3-position event as well in Athens, but a possible second quota for the country in the women's rifle events has to be won by the rest of the squad led by the talented Suma Shirur. A country can win a maximum of two quota places in an event. Suma had missed the bronze by 0.2 points in the World Cup in Shanghai, but was not in her elements this day. She had a series of 100, 95, 97 and 97 for a 389. Thus, she had to be content with the joint 30th position in a field of 60 shooters. Pournima Gawhane shot a series of 96, 97, 97 and 96 for a 386 and finished joint 35th. Shooting for the Minimum Qualifying Score (MQS), set at a modest 375, Anuja Tere had a 391 following a series of 97, 98, 98 and 98. Competing in her first World Cup for the season like Anuja, Deepali Deshpande could not do well and had a 384, with rounds of 95, 95, 96 and 98. Anjali and some of the other Indian women shooters would be competing in the 3-position event also in Atlanta. Abhinav Bindra will be training his focus to strike hard in the men's air rifle event. The case of Anjali and company, for the Italian visa, which had been refused in Mumbai before the team's departure, for competing in the World Cup in Milan to be staged from May 29 to June 2, has been further strengthened with the current fare. Women's air rifle results: 1. Lioubov Galkina (Rus) 502.3 (399); 2. Anjali Bhagwat 501.6 (399); 3. Martina Prekel (Ger) 499.2 (396); 30T. Suma Shirur 389; 35T. Pournima Gawhane (386); MQS : Anuja Tere (391); Deepali Deshpande (384).
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