Abhinav Bindra and Gagan Narang on Tuesday gave India the first gold of the 19th Commonwealth Games by winning the men's 10-metre air rifle pairs event, breaking their own Games record. The Indians shot a total of 1,193 and broke the Commonwealth Games record (1,189) they set four years back at Melbourne.
The silver went to England’s James Huckle and Kenny Parr while Bangladesh’s Abdullah Hell Baki and Mohammad Asif Hussain got the bronze at the Karni Singh Shooting Range on the second day of the 19th Commonwealth Games competitions.
The English pair collected 1,174 closely followed by Bangladesh (1,173). Gagan, who was not performing well in the 10-metre air rifle event, shot an outstanding sequence of 99, 100, 100, 99, 100 and 100 for a total of 598. Abhinav shot a spectacular series of 100, 98, 99, 100, 99 and 99 for a tally of 595.
An elated Bindra said it was his best moment since winning the yellow metal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. "Yes of course. This is my best moment since winning the gold in Beijing. It is always special to win a medal for the country. And this is the first time I am competing in a such a big event on Indian soil," Bindra said, soon after the pair's sterling performance.
"I am happy the way we performed and hope to continue our showing in the coming days of the Games," said Bindra, the first Indian individual Olympic gold medallist. He had finished at the top podium the 10-metre air rifle event at Beijing Olympics. National coach Sunny Thomas was excited at the feat and said that the gold rush for India has just began.
“I had imposed a gag order on the shooters before the Games and many thought that I was a dictator. Now I feel that I stand vindicated. This is just the start and shooters will again win a lot of medals this time,” he said. In the last edition four years back in Melbourne, Indian shooters emerged a dominant force winning 27 medals, including 16 golds, helping the country's medal tally reach to 50.