Shooters Mairaj Ahmed Khan and Angad Vir Singh crashed out of the men's skeet shooting event on Monday (July 26).
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India’s barren run in shooting at the Tokyo Olympics carries on. Shooters Mairaj Ahmed Khan and Angad Vir Singh crashed out of the men’s skeet shooting event on Monday (July 26).
The qualification process was lengthy, with the five rounds lasting over two days. In the end, Angad finished 18th and Mairaj finished 25th. (Tokyo 2020 full coverage)
This was particularly harsh because Mairaj was, at the end of the first round, joint first and assured of qualification. However, the margins are very fine in skeet and his drop-off in scores were enough to get him out of the top 6.
It was a different story for Angad. He started poorly but clawed his way back up the standings. However, he didn’t end up finishing anywhere close to the qualifying positions either.
Heading into the Games, there was plenty of hope from the shooting contingent. The team contained a mix of youthful prospects and veterans who have big-game experience.
However, so far the sport has been quite the mixed bag for India. The 10m air rifle event saw medal contenders Apurvi Chandela and Elavenil Valarivan crash out.
There was even more heartbreak in store as Abhishek Verma crashed out in the 10m air pistol. Saurabh Chaudhary gave 1.3 billion Indians plenty to smile as he topped the qualifying to move into the medal round.
But, in the medal stage, he finished seventh as the pressure of the situation got to him.
India have won a medal at Tokyo thanks to weightlifter Mirabai Chanu. She won a silver medal on Saturday, thus becoming the first Indian medalist on the opening day of the Games.
The Tokyo Olympics, which was delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now up and running. The Games have not been without their share of controversies, however.
The event is happening despite plenty of protests from the Japanese people against it. And the angst is not without reason. Tokyo is currently in a state of emergency due to a rise in COVID cases.
The Games will by and large be played out in the absence of fans, always a major psychological blow to athletes. There’s also been a number of cases reported in the Olympic village itself.
Nevertheless, the Games remain an event that many around the world will be keen to watch. From July 23 to August 8, many will be hooked onto their televisions to follow the events.
