Day 6: Vijay brings glory to Himachal

Dateline DOHA

The new Asian Games rules became a boon for young Indian pistol shooter Vijay Kumar when he was awarded the bronze medal despite finishing at the fourth position after the top three positions were filled up by the Chinese shooters in the men’s 25m rapid fire event at the Lusail Shooting Complex yesterday.

The 21-year-old shooter hailing from the tiny north Indian state of Himachal Pradesh finished behind the Chinese trio of Zhongsheng Liu, Penghui Zhang and Guohui Liu, but the Indian was awarded the bronze medal because of the new Games rule that no country can sweep all the medals in a single event. The two other Indians in the fray in the event - Pemba Tamang (574) and Rahul Panwar (563) - finished ninth and 20th respectively.

The Indian team finished fourth. “Had Rahul Panwar shot a better score, we could have even won a silver as the difference between silver and bronze in the team event was just a point,” said the Indian coach Sunny Thomas.

For Vijay, who becomes only the second Asian medalist ever from the tiny state to win a medal, this joy is special. “I was lucky to win the bronze. However, I had the best score in the final round. Had I shot better in the qualifying rounds, I could have done better. But I am happy to win a medal here. This victory is special to me,” said the Indian Army shooter, who took up the sport after joining the Indian army.

A hugely popular figure and an icon of sorts in his native state, Vijay shot to the fame when he won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne earlier this year. The Indian army acknowledged his contribution by promoting him.

Vijay is now focusing on the 25 metres centre fire pistol event to be held tomorrow. “I am aiming to win a medal there and I will try my hard to win a medal there,” he said. The Indian coach is still looking for that elusive gold medal in shooting.

“Tomorrow is an important day for India and our top shooters Gagan Narang, Jaspal Rana and Samaresh Jung are in the field. Although the field is very strong, but I am still hopeful of winning a gold,” the coach added.

Talking about Vijay’s medal, Sunny Thomas said, “This is the first individual medal that India have won in pistol. Now we should give importance to the rapid fire too. It is good for us that our shooters are making a mark here. In few years we will be the best team.”