The Melbourne experience for Indian shooters was a great one. With 18 medals (including 11 golds) off 13 events they took part in, India finished champions in the Australian Shooting Cup. The other countries in fray, apart from the hosts, were New Zealand and Singapore.
The other big gain for the Indians was experience of Melbourne’s fickle weather. Chief coach Sunny Thomas said it had an adverse effect on those participating in the outdoor ranges including 50m.
“The trip was a good learning experience for those not accustomed to such weather conditions,” he said on his return from Melbourne today.
Apart from windy conditions, the shooters also had to encounter warm and cold conditions prevailing during the day. “In bad conditions, it was quite tough to maintain decent scores in prone and 25m events,” added the coach.
At the Commonwealth Games, shooters in prone and big bore events will have a tough time. “It will be difficult to predict who will win,” said Thomas.