Apurvi Chandela is a rare pearl in Indian sports.More familiar for her gold medal in women’s air rifle at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year, the 22-year-old shooter from Jaipur took another firm step towards Olympic excellence with a silver medal in the World Cup Final in Munich.
Apurvi was the youngest of the four Indian shooters who made it to Germany (seasoned campaigner Gagan Narang, super performer Jitu Rai and fast growing Gurpreet Singh were the others). And from a highly competitive field that had the season’s top-10 performers, she struck a medal, which spoke a lot about her guts.
Apurvi was close to perfection, as she shot 10.5 and 10.8 to beat Valentina Gustin of Croatia and Andrea Arsovic of Serbia to first ensure the bronze and then assure herself of a better medal in the tie-shoots. For those unfamiliar, 10.9 is a perfect shot in shooting.
After She had led the 20-shot final at the halfway stage, Apurvi lost the gold medal to Elaheh Ahmadi of Iran by 0.6 point. Her total of 206.9 — not her best — meant that her average shot was 10.35. In qualification, she had 416.4 over 40 shots, for an average of 10.4.
It is not easy to shoot consistently right through the qualification and the final. The reigning Olympic champion and former World champion and Asian Games champion, Yi Siling of China, who had won the World Cup Final thrice, apart from a silver in the last four years, shot 421.1 in topping the qualifiers, but ended up seventh.
“It was a thrilling experience to win the silver from among such top class shooters,” said Apurvi.
Even at such young age, Apurvi knows pretty well the importance of staying focused on the technical process rather than allow thoughts of a medal to distract her.
Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin October 17, 2015 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Sportstar dergisinin October 17, 2015 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?
The making of a batting behemoth
If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.
A question of recognition
After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.
Thinking straight, thinking right!
“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.
The league of the masses
With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.
