Not meeting the qualification cut-off score during pistol events is something Rhythm Sangwan would hardly be able to relate to. The 19-year-old has been in a league of her own, gunning down targets with considerable ease, for quite some time now.
Thus, it was always only going to be a matter of time before she moved over from Wednesday’s blip that had seen her finish 13th with a score of 572 in the individual air pistol round. She, however, didn’t have to wait very long for the winning moment that came about the very next day. Paired with the unassuming Varun Tomar yet again for the 10m air pistol mixed team event, Rhythm helped India win its first silver medal of the ISSF World Cup in Bhopal.
Additionally, the sensational 10m air rifle duo comprising reigning world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil and R. Narmada Nithin clinched the bronze medal. India currently stands second on the medals tally with one gold, one silver and two bronze behind China, which has three gold and two bronze.
Rudrankksh Patil and R. Narmada Nithin won the Bronze medal in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed team Competition during ISSF World Cup Rifle/Pistol at Madhya Pradesh Shooting Academy in Bhopal on Thursday. | Photo Credit: FARUQUI AM
Although Varun’s contribution in the qualifier was immense – the shooter dropped only seven points – he seemed a completely different man in the gold medal fixture, shooting 10 nine-pointers off his 14 shots. A worried Munkhbayar Dorjsuren, India’s foreign pistol coach, had to intervene with an official timeout. “She just suggested a few tweaks here and there. But it wasn’t stress. I was doing alright,” Varun says after the match.
Varun’s momentary drop in form meant Rhythm was subject to immense pressure. However, the 10s kept coming, and at one point in time, it did seem India would manage to pull off a thrilling comeback, even though it had been trailing 14-4 after the ninth series. China’s Qian Wei and Liu Jinyao finally called checkmate with the scoreline locked at 17-11. The bronze medal went to the second Chinese team in the field.
“We all try our best to put our best foot forward. Silver is a medal as well but, of course, gold would have been great. There’s always a next time,” Rhythm said.
Earlier in the day, the Indians went up against another Chinese duo - Qiongyue Zhang and Haonan Yu in the 10m air rifle mixed team’s bronze medal clash. But on this occasion, Rudrankksh, who hardly puts a foot wrong these days, ably supported by Chennai’s Narmada Nithin put the visitors to the sword. The duo never dropped below 10.0, even shooting a 10.9 each in the fifth series. The audience loved every moment and showed their appreciation with a standing ovation as Rudrankksh, who never hit below 10.3 in the 12 series, raised his rifle to celebrate the 16-8 win. Meanwhile, China thrashed Hungary 16-2 to take the gold medal home.
“It always feels nice to win a medal. With us, it has often happened that we shoot good scores but often don’t make the podium. But we focus only on the process,” Rudrankksh said.
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