Rai wins India’s first gold at Incheon

AFP, Incheon :
Pistol shooter Jitu Rai extended his brilliant form this year by winning the men’s 50m air pistol title on Saturday, handing India a dramatic first gold at the Asian Games.
The 27-year-old non-commissioned officer in the Indian army, was trailing Vietnam’s Hoang Nguyen by 0.2 points with just one shot remaining to decide the winner.
Nhuyen managed a score of 5.8 before Rai, the world’s top-ranked shooter in the event, kept his cool to seal the title with a shot of 8.4 amid loud claps from the stands.
Rai finished with 186.2 points and Nguyen with 183.4. Wang Zhiwie of China claimed the bronze with 165.6 points.
“Winning an Asiad gold had always been on my mind, so obviously this is just great,” said Rai, whose last six world-level finals this year have either produced a gold or a silver.
Rai will return on Sunday to compete in the 10m event. “One can’t predict what will happen, all I know is that we will all start on zero,” he said.
Reigning Olympic and world champion Jin Jong-Oh finished seventh after helping South Korea to win the silver behind China in the team event. Vietnam took the bronze.
China won the other three gold medals on day one of the shooting competition at the Ongnyeon International Range.