Major dent to India's Olympic medal hopes: Jitu Rai fails to qualify in 50m Pistol final
Jitu Rai was one of India's best hopes for a medal. Photo: PTI
Ace Indian shooter and one of India's biggest medal hopes Jitu Rai failed to qualify for the finals of the 50m pistol event by shooting a horrific 88 in the final round.
Jitu had shot incredibly well in the second last series, shooting a super 95.
He had started on an average note today, scoring a 92 after the first series and was placed 12th. He improved in the second round, shooting a solid 95 to rise to 5th place.
Jitu's struggle with beginnings is nothing new. He had also struggled in the opening of 10m Pistol finals, the event he's ranked 3rd in the world for, eventually leading to his demise.
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| Shooter Jitu Rai had clinched silver at ISSF World Cup boosting his Rio prep. |
Jitu had struggled in the final of the event, scoring a paltry 29.8 and 30 in the first two rounds. His scored 9.7 and 10.1 in his next two shots, reaching a paltry total of 78.7.
This was a start which would be difficult to overcome in any field, let alone one featuring world class shooters like Hoang Xuan Vinh, Pang Wei, Wu Felipe Almeida, Tuzinsky Juraj, Jin Jongoh, Gontcharov Vladimira and Giordona Giuseppe.
Jitu had finished his qualifying with a scorching set of seven 10-pointers to make it to the final after another rocky start.