Indian rowers qualify for final round in three events

Indian rowers continued their good show in the 18th Asian Games as they qualified for the final round in three more events. Rohit Kumar and Bhagwan Singh finished on top in men’s lightweight double sculls repechage round in 7:14.23s to qualify for the final race to be held on August 24. In the women’s four repechage round, the Indian quartet of Sanjita Dung Dung, Annu, Navneet Kaur and Yamini Singh finished fourth with a time of 7:53.29s but still made it to the final to be held on August 24. The men’s lightweight eight team was the last to compete today and it also qualified for the final by coming on top with a time of 6:15.62. The final will be held on August 24.

at the 25-metre pistol shooting range in the Jakabaring Complex swore they had never seen such a nerve-wracking final.

The pulse raced and sweat dripped as if one was sitting in a sauna. The air-conditioner was working just fine, though.

Rahi Sarnobat and Naphaswan Yangpaiboon of Thailand fought a close duel until the Indian came out triumphant in a shoot-off to become the first woman shooter from the country to win gold at the continental games.

India’s teen sensation Manu Bhaker, though, flattered to deceive in the final after setting a ‘qualification Games Record’ to top the field of 32 shooters, just three hours before the finals.

Manu couldn’t handle the pressure and was out of contention in no time, finishing sixth. But Rahi continued to fire like a champion steeled for the sternest test. Never once did she flinch in the face of tough competition from the Thai shooter.

In fact, the deputy collector in the Maharashtra government, continued to flourish and after the “first competition series” of three rounds of five shots each, Rahi had 14/15 and led the pack.

She continued to cruise comfortably in the “second competition stage” — also called the elimination round — being on target nine times out of 10.

Then the slide started. A ‘3’ and two ‘2s’ in the next three elimination rounds of five shots each saw her blow up a threepoint lead and come level with the Thai girl, who shot a perfect 5 in the last round to force a shoot-off.

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INTENSE PRESSURE

The pressure was intense but the Thai lost 2-3 in the second shoot-off after the first saw both tied at 4-4.

Celebrations over, the 27-year-old Rahi Sarnobat reached out to her personal coach from Germany, Munkhbayar Dorjsuren, twotime world champion, who has been with her for about a year now.

Crediting victory to the 49-year-old coach of Mongolian descent, Rahi, a picture of calm, said, “We share a motherdaughter

RAHI SARNOBAT, women’s 25m pistol gold medal winner

relationship”.

THROUGH THE PAIN

Rahi has been through a lot of pain. Though she won gold at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, few knew she was on heavy medication to alleviate a pain in her elbow.

She did take part in the 2014 Incheon Asian Games but vanished from the scene thereafter,