At 16, Saurabh is a phenomenon: Joydeep

KOLKATA: Moments after Saurabh Chaudhary bagged gold in the Men’s 10 metre Air Pistol final at the Asian Games, former Olympian Joydeep Karmakar hailed the teenager’s composure and added that he is hopeful of a rich haul from the Indians at the ISSF World Shooting Championships starting later this month.

“I am amazed by the composure. He is a phenomenon. At 16, he is surely not shooting for a long time. But contrary to popular belief, he is not restless and has shown nerves of steel,” Karmakar said after the 16-year-old produced an Asian Games record score of 240.7.

“The World Championships (August 31 - September 14) are coming up and these are really good signs for Indian shooting. We have some very promising talent and Saurabh is just an example,” said Karmakar who missed a bronze medal in the 50m prone event by less than two points at the 2012 London Olympics.

Karmakar pointed out that Saurabh’s score of 586 in the qualification round is top-draw and he can challenge any player going into the World Championships given his form. “You are competing with the best at the Asian Games. China, Korea and (Chinese) Taipei have some of the world’s finest players. So with a score of 586 which is top class by any standard, I fancy Saurabh to do well at the World Championships too. He has a level head on his shoulders.”

DIPA FAILS TO QUALIFY FOR VAULT FINAL BUT MAKES IT TO BEAM TITLE ROUND

Star gymnast Dipa Karmakar failed to qualify for the vault final but made the cut in the balance beam as India also booked a berth in the title round of the team meet in the Asian Games here on Tuesday. Dipa finished eighth in her pet event’s qualification round with a score of 13.225. The women’s vault final is scheduled for August 23.