With Beijing just eight months away, the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) has begun in right earnest for the big event. However, its shooters’ recent exposure trip to Gyor (Hungary), meant to give impetus to those who have qualified for the Games, did not have desired results despite India winning a bagful of medals from a contingent of 30-plus.India reaped a rich harvest of 16 medals: seven gold, six silver and three bronze at the Hungarian Open.Top guns in Hungary included Anjali Bhagwat, Avneet Kaur and Samresh Jung. But Jung was the lone medal winner among the Beijing prospects. He won a gold in the first event with a score of 680.2 (580+100.2) and shot 670.5 (574+96.5) to claim the silver in the second of the men’s air pistol event. The surprise packet at the two-day event was PT Raghunath and Suma Shirur. Raghunath, in fact, had the best showing in the championships with gold medals in both men’s air rifle. As for Suma, she must be ranking her medal-winning performance in Hungary as the best to happen to her after a long time. Suma won her second event with a score of 499.0 (396+103.0), a world class score. Suma hasn’t been firing as well as she would have wanted all these days, particularly during 2007 when it presented her with great opportunity to book a ‘quota’ place for the Beijing Games. Unforutnately, she was off target throughout until Hungary. If only Suma had managed a score like the one she did in Gyor, she would have been part of the Indian contingent in Beijing. Heena Sidhu claimed the gold in women’s air pistol with a score of 481.4 (383+98.4).
