Harriett (Hôte)
| | The new Goldfinger: Jitu Rai wins India's first top medal at 17th Asiad with nerveless performance in men's pistol event By <br> Published: 01:24 GMT, 21 September 2014 | Updated: 02:40 GMT, 21 September 2014 <br> </a> Hail Jitu Rai, the new 'goldfinger' of Indian shooting.
<br /><br>Not since Jaspal Rana's heyday has India produced a pistol shooter with such a Midas touch as the country's latest shooting star.<br> In the last three months, the Nepal-born Indian Army soldier has produced a run of success to rival the greats of world shooting, winning three World Cup medals, a World Championship silver (with a Rio Olympics quota spot) and a Commonwealth Games gold medal.
<br /><br> India's foreign coach Pavel
Smirnov after his victory in
men's 50m pistol at the
Ongnyeon shooting range
on Saturday" class="blkBorder img-share" /> Jitu Rai (right) embraces India's foreign coach Pavel Smirnov after his victory in men's 50m pistol at the Ongnyeon shooting range on Saturday<br> <br> <br>And on Saturday, he put up a nerveless performance to clinch India's first gold at the 17th Asian Games in the men's 50m pistol event.
<br /><br>From his very first shot in the competition soon after 9.30 am local time till the 8.4 he scored with his final bullet at the Ongnyeon range, Jitu soaked up pressure like a sponge.
<br /><br>Even when he misfired, he followed it with a superb shot to outlast the strong Chinese and Vietnamese contingents and world champion Jin Jongoh, who had the home crowd behind him. <br /><br>Looking cool, composed and focused each time he raised his pistol to fire at the target, he seemed to be in the 'zone'.<br> In between shots, as he loaded the ammunition with his left hand without budging from his shooting stance, one got the feeling this man would do something great.<br> Finishing seventh in the preliminary phase with a none-too-great 559/600, the new rules where every shooter starts the final from scratch worked to Jitu's advantage.<br> He didn't get off to a great start in the final, and was languishing in sixth place after the first eight shots, when the first elimination took place.
<br /><br>But Jitu battled back while others around him lost the plot. Eventually, Jitu and Vietnam's Hoang Phuong Nguyen were separated by just 0.2 points going into the final shot of the duel.
<br /><br>Nguyen shot a disastrous 5.8 while Jitu froze his body like a statue and gently squeezed the trigger for an 8.4.<br> Jitu Rai soaked up a lot of pressure through the nerve-wracking final<br> <br> <br> "Undoubtedly, this is my biggest medal and the pressure was much more here than in the World Championship," said Jitu, hardly showing any sign of emotion after the huge win. <br /><br>The celebrations were muted but Jitu did smile as International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach presented him the gold medal.
<br /><br> gold for India at
Incheon Asiad" class="blkBorder img-share" /> Midas touch: Jitu Rai brings home the first gold for India at Incheon Asiad<br> <br> <br>As the Indian flag went up and the national anthem was played, Jitu's heart filled with pride.
The mandatory dope test and quick interviews done, Jitu rushed back to the 10-metre range for training as he will shoot in the air pistol event on Sunday. <br /><br>That's what stands out - Jitu's humility and willingness to work hard.
"I knew I had to keep going in the match today and I wish to thank my parents, my coaches and the Indian Army for giving me this opportunity," added Jitu. <br /><br>Coach Pavel Smirnov was almost begging the media to leave Jitu alone.
<br /><br>"He has had a very long season with zero rest. It's a tribute to his fitness and motivation that he has kept going competition after competition. After the Asian Games, he needs complete rest for one month," added the coach.
<br /><br> <br> <br>Physical and mental fitness trainer Vaibhav Agashe praised Jitu for all the hard work he puts into training. <br /><br>"As an Armyman, Jitu is the fittest shooter in the Indian squad. We made him go through a lot of cardio conditioning. When his form slumped midway through the final, it was due to sheer fatigue but in the final shot he showed superb control over his muscles and mind to fire gold," Agashe told Mail Today.
<br /><br>The other Indians in the fray, Om Prakash and Omkar Singh, finished 10th and 16th respectively with scores of 555 and 551.<br> Had the three Indians combined to shoot just five more points, the country would've also won a medal in the concurrently-held team event.<br> As it was, India finished fourth, behind China, South Korea and Vietnam.<br>
my web-site kembarjitu (https://linkr.bio/kembarjitu4d) |
