Asian Games
Asian Games Shooting: Last-minute rule change robs India's medal chance
Due to last minute change in the rule, India couldn't field the pair of Rudrankksh Patil/Mehuli Ghosh in mixed team rifle event.
New Delhi: A last minute change in the rule which allowed only one team from each country in the mixed team shooting events forced India to not field country's best bet - Rudrankksh Patil and Mehuli Ghosh- in the 10m mixed air rifle event.
Rudrankksh and Mehuli have already secured quota places for Paris Olympics and were supposed to be India's second team in the event.
But in the last moments, the Asian Games organisers decided to allow only one team per country.
The decision to field Divyansh Singh Panwar and Ramita Jindal was taken under the policy of National Rifle Association of India, which states that only the top-ranked shooter in the discipline can be part of the mixed team at the time of selection.
Divyansh and Ramita made the cut on the basis of the rankings.Divyansh and Ramita, however, missed the 10m mixed air rifle bronze medal by a whisker, finishing fourth.
On the sidelines of a feliciation ceremony, Rudrankksh told The Bridge," I didn't participate in the mixed team event cause NRAI's policy directs the top ranked shooters to play in mixed team events."
Rudrankksh, who is ranked number 14 in the world in 10m air rifle, saw his ranking dip at the national level as he didn't participate in the trials as he had secured Asian Games berth by winning the 2022 World Championships.
Mehuli and Rudrankksh were named as the second team for the event but the last-minute change meant that they couldn't participate.
Usually in mixed team events two teams participate at the tournaments like World Cups and World Championships but the Asian Games organizers decided to allow only one team.
Rudrankksh won the gold medal in the men's 10m air rifle team event while Mehuli won the silver medal in women's 10m air rifle team event. Both shooters finished at fourth in the individual final missing podium by a whisker.
In mixed team 10m air rifle event, Divyansh and Ramita registered a fourth place finishing missing out on another shooting medal for India.
