New Delhi, April 5
Pistol ace Manu Bhaker will represent India in the women’s 25m pistol competition over quota winner Chinki Yadav. The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) selection committee, led by president Raninder Singh, met today to select the Tokyo-bound team.
It was a collective decision. Manu despite having no bonus points in 25m pistol event is marginally behind Rahi (Sarnobat) and ahead of Chinki by a few points as per our Olympics policy. We also looked at current form from the national championships until the New Delhi World Cup and in that, Manu is first. She is higher than Rahi. So on merit it was impossible to deny one person to accommodate another
As was reported by The Tribune on Saturday, only two major talking points were discussed during the meeting. One was the toss-up between Manu and Chinki and the other was the selection of world No. 1 Elavenil Valarivan in the 10m air rifle discipline.
With Manu getting to shoot in the 25m pistol event, Chinki’s quota will be given to Anjum Moudgil in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions competition. The Chandigarh shooter will also pair with Deepak Kumar in the 10m air rifle mixed team competition. Anjum’s place in the 10m air rifle individual competition will be filled by Elavenil who will also shoot in the mixed competition with Divyansh Singh Panwar.
Interestingly, there was only one person in the meeting who stuck his neck out for Chinki’s inclusion in the team and that was celebrated pistol coach Jaspal Rana. Rana has signed on the decision with a dissenting note.
The NRAI president said that it was unfortunate for Chinki but the decision to drop her was purely on merit. “It was a collective decision. Manu despite having no bonus points in 25m pistol event is marginally behind Rahi (Sarnobat) and ahead of Chinki by a few points as per our Olympics policy. We also looked at current form from the national championships until the New Delhi World Cup and in that, Manu is first. She is higher than Rahi. So on merit it was impossible to deny one person to accommodate another,” Singh told The Tribune.
“There was one dissecting note from her coach Jaspal Rana but on merit we had to go with Manu. That gives us one free quota. We thought to strengthen our team so we have given this quota to Anjum for 3 positions, which allows her to a double start in the mixed team. So now she will shoot in 3P and in mixed team. Elavenil (Valarivan) and Apurvi (Chandela) will represent us in the 10m air rifle individual competition,” he added.
The NRAI has provisioned two reserve shooters in each discipline if any of the selected members get infected with the Covid-19 virus.
The rest of the team picks itself. In the men’s air rifle men’s category, both Divyansh Singh Panwar and Deepak Kumar got the nod. In the men’s 10m air pistol discipline, Saurabh Chaudhary and Abhishek Verma were head and shoulders above the rest.
In the skeet team, both quota winners Mairaj Ahmad Khan and Angad Veer Singh Bajwa will represent India.
