Asian Games 2018: Apurvi Chandela-Ravi Kumar Get India Off The Mark With Bronze In 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team Event

Shooters Apruvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar opened India's Asian Games 2018 medal tally by claiming bronze in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event on Sunday. The India duo finished third with a total of 429.9 points after 42 shots in the 48-shot final. Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar had qualified for the final by finishing second with 835.3 points. India started strong by being placed second with 102.9 points after the first 10 shots. India maintained their second spot after the next set of ten shots, reaching a tally of 205.5 points. After Stage 1 (30 shots), the Indian shooters held on and continued to occupy the silver medal position with 308.5 points.

Superb start to Day 1 of #AsianGames2018.

Mixed team of @Apurvichandela and Ravi Kumar wins first medal for India in this Asian Games. They have won in 10m air rifle mixed team.
Great show, team. Many congratulations to them! #IndiaAtAsianGames #ProudIndia pic.twitter.com/9ctzZPCvCz

— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 19, 2018

Following that, fifth-placed Mongolia were eliminated as India, who had a two-point lead in the event, dropped to third place, unable to continue their point-scoring spree of previous rounds.

Talking about their performance, Apurvi Chandela said, "Our best finish together was fourth at the World Cup and we have improved on that. My first Asian Games medal and my first medal for India here. I am really happy about that but my focus is on main event (10m rifle) tomorrow."

Asked about slipping to third from second in the elimination stage, Apurvi added, "This happens in shooting. I think we shot alright."

Ravi Kumar said, "This bronze has come only because of Apurvi. The final was a disappointment after a decent qualification. We didn't get enough time to train together."

Mongolia were the first team to be eliminated and South Korea, who held the top spot in the early rounds, followed suit as they dropped to fourth place after some poor shooting.

Chinese Taipei won the gold medal with 494.1 points, creating a Asian Games record, while China claimed the silver with 492.5 points.

Meanwhile, in the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event, the Indian pair of Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma failed to qualify for the finals.

They ended sixth in the qualification round with 759 points.

Commenting on Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma's performance, pistol coach Jaspal Rana said, "Manu did not shoot to her potential. She was angry and agitated towards the end. She needs to work on controlling her anger. Abhishek needs to learn how to cope up with pressure in big events. It is new for him. They both will learn."

(With PTI inputs)