Indian shooters off to a decent start at Bangkok World Cup

Bangkok, May 5 (UNI) After a dismal outing at the just concluded Sydney World Cup, Indian shooters had a decent first day at the Bangkok edition of the mega event today, as World Champion Abhinav Bindra finished 7th in the men's 10m air rifle event and his compatriot Sanjeev Rajput was one place behind him.

Bindra shot a score of 695.9 with 595 in the qualifications and 100.9 in the finals. In the qualifications, Bindra had a shaky start with the first two series being 98 but recovered well with three consecutive series of 100 followed by a 99 in the last series.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Rajput Rajput too qualified for the finals with the same score of 595 like Bindra, but shot 100 in the finals to finish with a total score of 695. However, in the qualifications, Rajput shot a series of 98, 100, 98, 100, 100 and 99.

Out of form Gagan Narang, the third Indian in the fray, finished a disappointing 23rd with a score of 593 (100+100+99+97+98+99).

The gold in the event was won by Sidi Peter of Hungary with a score of 699 (597+102), silver went to Romania's Moldoveanu Alin George with a score of 698.4 (597+101.4), while Jozef Gonci of Slovakia got the bronze with a score of 698.2 (596+102.2).

UNI