New Delhi, Oct 5 (IANS) Shooters were bang on target to grab India’s first two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games and a silver was added to the tally from the Karni Singh Range here Tuesday.
Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang started the medal rush straightaway when the shooting competitions fired off and India’s first gold of the Games came from the men’s 10 metres air rifle pairs event.
Bindra (595) and Narang (598) shot a combined total of 1,193 and broke their own Commonwealth Games record (1,189) set four years ago in Melbourne.
Soon after, Anisa Sayeed and Rahi Sarnobat brought the second gold from the ranges, winning the women’s 25 m pistol pairs.
Between the two gold medals came the silver from Omkar Singh and Deepak Sharma as they finished second in the men’s 50 m pistol pairs.
In men’s 10 m air rifle pairs, the silver went to England’s James Huckle and Kenny Parr while Bangladesh’s Abdullah Hell Baki and Mohammad Asif Hussain got the bronze.
The English pair collected 1,174 closely followed by Bangladesh (1,173).
Gagan, who had not been performing well of late in the 10 metre air rifle event, shot an outstanding sequence of 99, 100, 100, 99, 100 and 100 for a total of 598.
Abhinav shot a spectacular series of 100, 98, 99, 100, 99 and 99 for a tally of 595.
An elated Bindra said it was his best moment since winning the yellow metal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
‘Yes of course. This is my best moment since winning the gold in Beijing. It is always special to win a medal for the country. And this is the first time I am competing in a such a big event on Indian soil,’ Bindra said soon after the pair’s sterling performance.
‘I am happy the way we performed and hope to continue our showing in the coming days of the Games,’ said Bindra, the first Indian individual Olympic gold medallist. He had finished at the top of the opodium in the 10 m air rifle event at the Beijing Olympics.
National coach Sunny Thomas was excited at the feat and said that the gold rush for India has just began.
‘I had imposed a gag order on the shooters before the Games and many thought that I was a dictator. Now I feel that I stand vindicated. This is just the start and shooters will again win a lot of medals,’ he said.
In Melbourne, Indian shooters emerged a dominant force winning 27 medals, including 16 gold, to help the country’s medal tally to swell to 50.
