Blame it on luck: Sanjeev Rajput’s best turns out to be dud
IT’S a miscalculation that Sanjeev Rajput rues making. But he sees the lighter side of it. Throughout the year, the Glasgow Commonwealth Games silver medallist has yearned for decent scores at crucial competitions. When he eventually did, it counted for nothing.
Rajput landed in Kerala a fortnight ago, low on confidence and unsure about his equipment. To try find his lost rhythm, he entered the 10m air rifle competition at the selection trials as a ‘provisional shooter’.
However, in a twist of fate, he recorded the highest score in the final, 209, after finishing among the top eight in the qualifying round. Since he had requested to not consider his scores official, Rajput was not selected for the Indian squad for the season’s final World Cup that will be held in Gabala, Azerbaijan, next month.
Instead, Abhinav Bindra and Imran Hassan Khan, who won the trials with a score of 207 in the final, have been named in the 10m air rifle event by the National Rifle Association of India. Intriguingly, Rajput’s score of 209 would have won him gold medals at the Munich and Changwon World Cups and earned him a podium finish at the Fort Benning World Cup.
Instead, he will not even be in the travelling party for the season’s last event. Crucially, though, it affects his chances to make the cut for Rio Games. Gabala World Cup is the penultimate opportunity for shooters to book quota places, with the Asian Championships being the last event. Rajput is in the top bracket of the sports ministry’s Target Olympic Podium Scheme, eligible for Rs 1 crore and 12.5 lakh.
Provisional shooter
Shooting unofficially in the qualifying round comprising 159 marksmen, Rajput recorded a score of 619, which was enough to progress to the final. “I was not sure I would shoot a high score. I had changed my jacket so wasn’t sure how it would pan out. So I requested the coaches and selection committee to allow me as provisional shooter and not consider my scores,” he said.
The jacket is a crucial equipment for shooters, helping them in holding the rifle, ensuring best accuracy, and to protect. Rajput said he wasn’t happy with his old jacket, which he said wasn’t supporting well.
“I wasn’t scoring well either while wearing the old jacket. That’s the reason I thought changing jacket would be helpful. If the jacket supports well, it would have a positive effect on the results as well,” he said. “I didn’t want to enter the main competition without testing it once. I did well but unfortunately my scores were unofficial.”
It’s been that kind of a year for him, luckless and sprinkled with inconsistent, low-scoring performances. And it’s not the first time luck has eluded him.
Rajput was in contention for the Delhi CWG team when a rat bite a day before the deciding trials in Pune ruined his chances. The Haryana shooter appeared for trials with fever and could not make the cut.
“Luck has not been by my side,” he rued. “But on this occasion, others have shot well. Those who deserve to be in the squad are there.”
Archers reach late, miss shot at bronze
Mumbai: Late by three minutes, the Indian compound archery team were forced to forfeit their bronze medal playoff match against Italy in Gwangju Universiade on Wednesday. The Indian team comprising Gurwinder Singh, Kawalpreet Singh and Aman were due to face their Italian counterparts Jacopo Polidori, Andrea Leotta and Luca Fanti at 10am.
However, the team reached the Gwangju International Archery Centre three minutes late, which cost them a shot at the medal. The team management claimed they were not informed about the change in schedule of the match on time, which resulted in them arriving late at the venue.
Stricter action
The Archery Association of India, however, is planning to take strict action against the archers and are likely to order a probe. After finishing seventh in the qualification round, India defeated Argentina and Russia before losing to Mexico in the semifinals.
