London: Gagan Narang has provided India its first medal of the 2012 London Olympics, winning the bronze in the 10m Air Rifle event.
Narang shot 103.1 in the final to take the third spot. Alin George Moldoveanu of Romania won the gold, while Niccolo Campriani of Italy came up with a silver. Moldoveanu shot the same score as Narang - 103.1 - but came first by virtue of finishing first in the qualifying round at the Royal Artillery Barracks.
Earlier, Beijing Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra failed to qualify with a final score of 594/600. However, Narang made it to the finals with a score of 598/600 and finished on third position.
Bindra, India’s shooting gold medallist in 2008, failed to make it past the qualifying event for the title he won in Beijing four years ago. He shot a round of 594 in the qualifiers, getting three nines in the sixth and final round which ruined his chances of qualifying.
He has struggled to confirm his supremacy over the past couple years, even slipping to 20th in the world rankings, but there widespread expectations that Bindra would defend the time he won on August 11, 2008.
More to follow …
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