By Philem Dipak Singh Hangzhou, Sep 27 (PTI) Manu Bhaker yet again failed to tame the pressures that accompany a multi-sporting event, as the ace shooter finished fifth in the 25m pistol competition at the Asian Games here on Wednesday.
The result is all the more difficult to swallow because Bhaker had topped the qualification stage.
Bhaker can take some consolation from the gold she won in the 25m pistol team event alongside Eesha Singh and Rhythm Sangwan earlier on Wednesday.
But Bhaker would have loved an individual redemption, as she had ended up sixth in the 25m pistol in the Jakarta Asian Games 2018.
She had finished fifth in the 10m air pistol at Jakarta, but the Indian did not contest in that event at Hangzhou.
Bhaker had also competed in three pistol events during the 2018 Asian Games but couldn’t win a medal.
However, the champion shooter, a winner of nine World Cup individual and mixed team medals, gave indications of making amends when she topped the 25m pistol event qualification with 590 points.
Once again Bhaker flattered to deceive, as she was out of sorts in the final.
After the second series, Bhaker was lying at joint fourth with six shots on target out of 10.
She moved down to fifth after shooting three targets out of five in the third series.
Bhaker was able to hit just one target out of five shots in the fourth series before an all-five in the next.
She was eventually eliminated after the eighth series of shots.
“I would like to improve on my individual skills. It’s a motivation to work even harder in the future,” Bhaker said.
She also said that there were small “group shifts” when she was competing.
In shooting, a group is a collective pattern of projectile impacts on a target from multiple consecutive shots.
“There was a group shift. Since my monitor was kept at it, I did not realise it.
“After the entire series was over, I realised that small group shifts were happening,” she said.
“After that, I could see my monitor in the range. I tried to improve but could not,” she added.
However, Bhaker tried to see the lighter side of her fifth-place finish.
“I had topped qualification in the 2018 Asian Games also but I finished sixth there. So, I am one place above here,” she said with a chuckle.
After the 2018 Asian Games, the junior world champion had a forgetful Tokyo Olympics outing in 2021 after her pistol malfunctioned.
At the Hangzhou range, Bhaker also faced a minor problem with the empties from the adjacent competitor falling towards her.
“The empties from the shooter in front of me were hitting me. I had to clear them,” she said.
However, Bhaker said winning team gold was a proud moment for her.
“We had won gold in the world championships. Now, getting gold here is a proud moment for all of us. As a team we have been really great,” she signed off.
Source: PTI News
