Tokyo Paralympics: Indian shooter Singhraj Adhana wins bronze medal
Indian shooter Singhraj Adhana, on Tuesday, won the bronze medal in the P1 men's 10m air pistol SH1 event at the Tokyo Paralympics. Singhraj shot a total of 216.8 to finish at the third sport. He had earlier qualified for the eight-man final as the sixth-best shooter. The 39-year-old, who was diagnosed with polio, made his Paralympics debut in this edition. Here's more.
Singhraj was off to a terrific start to top the rankings in the initial stages of the men's 10m air pistol (SH1) final.
Singhraj, who was sixth in the qualification stage, shot 9.0 in his fifth attempt.
This dropped him to second, with China's Chao Yang topping the leader board.
The Indian slipped to third as he struggled in his next series of shots.
Singhraj faltered in the elimination round, shooting 9.4 and 9.7. He further plunged to fourth. However, China's Lou Xiaolong shot a 8.6 in his final attempt, which proved fruitful for Singhraj. Singhraj reclaimed his third spot, assuring India of a medal. Yang won the gold medal with a total of 237.9 points, while Xing Huang settled for silver with a total of 237.5 points.
Hailing from Haryana's Bahadurgarh, Singhraj Adhana, took up shooting only four years ago. He was earlier serving as the chairman of the Sainik School in Faridabad. Notably, his grandfather took an active part in India's freedom movement and served in the British Indian Army during World War II. Earlier this year, Singhraj won gold at the Para Sport World Cup in the UAE.
Singhraj clinched India's second medal in shooting at the ongoing Paralympic Games. Earlier, Avani Lekhara scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a gold medal at the Paralympics. She finished at the top in the R-2 women's 10m Air Rifle Standing SH1 event in Tokyo. The 19-year-old had registered a record-equaling total of 249.6.
Singhraj has extended India's tally of medals at the Tokyo Paralympics to eight. This is India's best tally at a single Paralympic edition. India had won four medals each in 2016 and 1984. Javelin thrower Sumit Antil bagged a second gold medal for India on Monday. Bhavina Patel, Nishad Kumar, Yogesh Kathuniya, Devendra Jhajharia, and Sundar Singh Gurjar are the other medalists so far.
