Asian Shooting: Maiden medal for Aakriti; Anjum’s ‘serious’ sighter shots fire her to 50m Rifle 3 Positions bronze

NEW DELHI: Anjum Moudgil never takes her sighter shots lightly and that habit saved the day for her in the women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions at the Asian Rifle and Pistol Championship on Tuesday. During the qualification round, she inadvertently fired match shots thinking they were sighters — trial shots taken to adjust sights or aim before the start of competition — resulting in those being counted towards her score.“The qualification was a bit challenging, but I’m really happy with how it ended. Normally, we get a sighting time before a match. I missed changing targets from match mode to sighters. After about eight shots, I realised the match had started. The positive thing is that I always take my sighters seriously. So all were full 10 points,” she said. “Something like this happened to me for the first time in my career,” she added.

The lapse did not cost her much in the end as she finished third in the qualification round and went on to win bronze. Sofiya Shulzhenko of Kazakhstan won gold while India’s Aakriti Dahiya claimed the silver. This was Aakriti’s first international medal in the 50m Rifle 3 Positions.Ashi Chouksey, the third Indian in the final, finished fourth. Kazakhstan won the team gold while the silver went to India. Japan came third.

The final of the event was played under the new ISSF rules under which changes were made in the format to make it more spectator friendly. In Rifle 3 Positions, shooters shoot in kneeling, prone and standing positions. It forced some adjustments for the shooters. “Earlier, the stages were clearly demarcated. Now, with the shift to shorter segments, it feels more like choosing on the go. This change is mainly for spectators and if they can understand what’s happening, it could be interesting.

Earlier, the transitions and timing were easier to follow,” said the 32-year-old, “Adjusting wasn’t difficult, though it will require more training.”Anjum had a word of praise for her junior Aakriti, who won the silver. “I’m extremely happy for Aakriti. Moments like these really make me happy because I remember winning my first individual medal back in 2012. She handled the final really well,” said the senior shooter.Aakriti said she picked up the event because of the challenge it presented. “I’ve always been interested in 50m. It’s a very interesting discipline because there are many factors involved. It’s a bit more tricky than 10m air rifle shooting and it challenges me more,” the 24-year-old said.Even though she was shooting for 18 years, Anjum said she is still motivated to give her best every time she steps onto the range. “When you don’t win or when you lose, that itself becomes strong motivation. It comes from within. Sometimes, situations or people aren’t in your favour and that actually motivates you even more. In a way, I’m thankful to those who haven’t stood by me. Because they’ve helped keep that fire burning,” she said.