Chain unwell, shooting body can look at Rajput as option
Ever since I’ve returned from Baku (World Cup, where he won a silver), I’ve been training all day at the Karni Singh Ranges. I always try to keep myself match ready SANJEEV RAJPUT, on being competition ready
NEW DELHI: The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) could probably revisit their decision to exclude former Navy shooter Sanjeev Rajput from the Rio-bound squad in the wake of Army marksman Chain Singh suffering from pneumonia and pulmonary embolism in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he was training.
The 27-year-old suffered the illness recently and was hospitalised as there was a possibility of it becoming life-threatening where clots form in the veins, resulting in laboured breathing.
Rajput had earned the quota for the country in 50m rifle 3-position during the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in January this year in New Delhi. But, London Olympic bronze-medallist shooter Gagan Narang, who had a quota in rifle prone and was marginally ahead of Rajput in the rankings in rifle 3-position, was named instead.
Gagan, who will be competing in all three rifle events, will be competing alongside Abhinav Bindra in air rifle and Chain in Competing in all three events at the Olympics is a tough ask and Gagan should have restricted himself to a maximum of two events.
SILVER TO SHOW FOR
But given the current scenario where Chain is recuperating and the Games are barely 10 days away, a fit Rajput could be an ideal replacement for Chain in prone and 3-position. Rajput is in great form and recently won a silver at the World Cup in Baku, besides being one of the country’s two 3-position goldmedal winners at the World Cup in Changwon (2011).
“Ever since I’ve returned from Baku, I’ve been training at the Karni Singh Ranges (in Tughlakabad). I always try to keep myself match ready,” Rajput told HT toughest and longest events in shooting with marksmen having to shoot 120 shots, taking between 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours including the ‘sighters’. And with shooting all about breath ing at the right moment, it could become laboured for Chain.
It may be recalled that Gagan’s golden run during the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi was broken as his sick partner in prone ‘pairs event, Hariom Singh struggled because he could not take medi cation for fear of getting caught in a dope test.
The pair finished outside the medals bracket and Hariom, who was suffering from a similar ail ment as Chain, was quoted as saying, “I have not been well for 4-5 days. I couldn’t concentrate. I could not take medicine for the fear