Tokyo Olympics: Manu Bhaker fifth after precision round of women's 25m pistol qualifying

Indian shooter Manu Bhaker placed a respectable fifth after the precision round of the women’s 25m pistol qualifying event of the Tokyo Olympics.

Bhaker registered scores of 97, 97 and 98 in series 1, 2 and 3 respectively. As things stand, she is only four points off the first-placed shooter, Zorana Arunovic of Serbia. (Tokyo 2020 full coverage)

However, there is work to be done for Rahi Sarnobat, who is currently 23rd in the qualifying standings. Only the top 8 qualify for the final.

Nevertheless, the rapid round is Sarnobat’s forte and she stands a chance of improving on her score.

Sarnobat finished the precision round with a total score of 287, leaving her placed 7th in the standings after the first 10 shooters were done. In the first series, she started with 96 and went one better with 97 in the second series.

However, the third series saw her finish with 94, which clearly impacted her final standing at that point. This was esepcially true after others started their rounds.

Indian shooting at the Tokyo Olympics

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.

Mairaj Ahmed Khan and Angad Vir Singh also crashed out of the men’s skeet shooting event earlier this week.

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.