Paralympics: Singhraj Adana wins bronze in shooting

INDIA'S shining run at the Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan, continued on Tuesday (31) as shooter Singhraj Adana, who took to the sport only four years ago and made his debut at the mega event this year, clinched bronze in the P1 men’s 10-metre air pistol SH1 event.

The 39-year-old from the northern Indian state of Haryana, who is afflicted with polio, shot a total of 218.6 to end up in the third position after qualifying for the eight-man final as the sixth best shooter.

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However, Manish Narwal, who topped the qualifications with 575, was eliminated when the finals started. Adana hovered around the top three positions and managed to come back into reckoning even after dropping out of contention with a poor 19th shot.

China dominated the finals with defending champion Chao Yang (237.9 – Paralympic record) and Huang Xing (237.5) winning the gold and silver, respectively. The Indian saw a slip to the fourth position at one time but moved back into the top three as his Chinese opponents had a low series.

Avani Lekhara wins gold for India

This is India’s second medal in shooting in this Paralympic Games after Avani Lekhara won gold in the 10-m air rifle standing finals (SH 1) on Monday (30).

Ace shooter and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra congratulated Adana whose grandfather was part of the country’s freedom struggle and served in the British Indian army during the Second World War (1939-45).

India currently have a medal tally of 10 with two gold, five silver and three bronze. China tops the list with 59 gold, 38 silver and 32 bronze.