CHENNAI: Young guns have punched above their weight in recent years and they are among favourites to make a splash during the upcoming Olympics. Competing in the Minimum Qualification Score (MQS) section -- no finals and medals -- in the ongoing European Shooting Championship in Osijek (Croatia), Saurabh Chaudhary and Elavenil Valarivan finished as toppers in their respective events on Monday.
Saurabh shot an impressive total of 589 in the qualification to finish as No. 1 in the men’s 10m air pistol. To put that into context, he had shot 587 in the recent ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, where he had gone on to clinch a silver medal. Abhishek Verma was way behind with a score of 579.Elavenil, meanwhile, showed why she’s so rated highly. The World No. 1 gave a glimpse of what she is capable of, scoring an impressive 630.4 in the women’s 10m air rifle.
In the last ISSF World Cup in New Delhi, where she failed to make the final, the qualification stage topper then had shot 629.8. Apurvi Chandela and Anjum Moudgil shot 627.8 and 624.7, respectively. “Dusting off from Delhi WC score .. training in Hyderabad with @gagunnarang has been productive with a 630.4 .. in Euro Champs,” Elavenil wrote on Twitter after her event.
In the corresponding men’s event, Divyansh Singh Panwar was the best performer for India. He shot 628.1, finishing just ahead of teammate Deepak Kumar, who garnered 627.4. Aishwary Pratap Singh Tomar, the third Indian in the fray, shot 625.