Shooter Jitu among seven dropped from TOP Scheme

NEWDELHI:Top Indian marksman Jitu Rai was on Wednesday dropped from the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, along with three other shooters, on grounds of recent lack of form.

Three track and field athletes were also dropped on the basis of recent below-par performances. The decisions were taken after a meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell here. Commonwealth Games gold medallist table tennis player Manika Batra has been sanctioned Rs 2.4 lakh (approximately) for her training till the Asian Games. This amount includes her training with coach Sandeep Gupta, use of support staff (physiotherapist, fitness trainer and masseur) and purchase of playing equipment.

Rs 93,555, which was already approved for Vinesh Phogat’s participation at the Gran Premio De Espana Wrestling tournament where she won the gold medal, was ratified at the meeting. “Proposals of TOPS shooters of about Rs 50 lakhs who will be representing India at Asian Games and World Championships were approved at the meeting. A thorough performance review of shooters under TOPS was also undertaken and four shooters including Jitu Rai were dropped from the scheme, on grounds of recent below-par performances and non-selection in Asian Games and World Championship squads,” a release from the Sports Authority of India said.

The three other shooters dropped from the TOP Scheme are Yashaswini Deswal, Amanpreet Singh and Neeraj Kumar.

Jitu won a gold each in the men’s 50m pistol event in the 2014 Asian Games and also bagged the yellow metal in the men’s 10m air pistol in the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April. But he is experiencing a lack of form of late and he was left out of the Indian shooting team for the upcoming Asian Games.

Meanwhile, under the funding clearances, Rs 2.93 lakh has been sanctioned to Anjum Moudgil, who participated in the 50m rifle 3 position event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games to procure ammunition for her training till the 2018 Shooting World Championships.

“Skeet shooters Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Sheeraz Sheikh are both training under TOPS in Italy under world-renowned coach Ennio Falco. The committee approved the hiring of sports psychologist Giovanna Menditto and physiotherapist Bruno Beniamino for both shooters for a period of 10 days each at a combined cost of Rs. 6.13 Lakhs (Rs. 3.06 lakhs each),” the release said.