Narang wins top gun stand-off; Bindra pipped

Narang took his time to start off and was one of the last ones to finish his first ten shots during the qualifications,but once set,the World mark was never in doubt. Five 100s in a row and another near perfect final round,meant that for the first time in the public’s eye,Narang had moved Bindra off his perch. But not that Narang wanted to make a statement with that surge ahead of the Olympian. “We are competing with each other not against each other. In the past few days,we both have learnt from each other,” Narang said on Wednesday.

And almost unbelievably,despite shooting series after series of perfect 10s,Narang said he started badly. “My first series was not good. I was slightly out of focus and was shooting rather loose. But to have got this score here is immensely satisfying for me,” Narang said. Bindra though expressed satisfaction with his scores,after having returned to competitive shooting only recently. “The hunger has returned and I’m starting to enjoy shooting again and I’m pretty happy with how I’ve progressed so far.”

But among all the jubilation about Narang’s score was the nagging doubt whether the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) will recognise it as the world record,despite that they have accorded this tournament with the Minimum Qualifying Score (MQS) status. David Parish,the ISSF delegate for the CWG,said that assurance can be given only after he hears a confirmation from the federation. “ISSF rules are very clear on this. Scores are only taken in consideration from Olympics,World Cup,World Championships or the continental games. But this isn’t either of them so I need to check with the federation. And the MQS is only for those nations who haven’t one quota and might get a wildcard entry.” He added: “It (WR) should stand,but as of this moment I can’t confirm.”

Following Narang’s double gold delight,Anisa Sayyed also bagged her second gold at the event,edging out team mate Rahi Sarnobat in the 25m pistol final,who won the silver. Sayyed’s tally of 786.8 points was also a new Games record. Rahi finished second with a total score of 781. Malaysia’s Pei Chin Bibiana NG toook the bronze.

Giving India shooting’s third gold in the day was Omkar Singh in the 50m pistol event. Singh was ranked No 2 after the qualifications and was trailing Singapore’s Bin Gae by a point. But he managed to overhauled the deficit with his opening shot in the finals,finishing four points clear of the Singaporean shooter at 453.6 points. Gae’s team mate Swee Hon Lee settled for the third spot.