Apurvi Chandela, Ravi Kumar Get India First Medal

The much awaited 2018 Asian Games kicked off yesterday, 18th August, in Indonesia, and we have a lot of hopes from our large Indian contingent that is participating. Earlier, we reported news of Neeraj Chopra being the flag bearer for India at the opening ceremony, and now, Team India has even won its first medal.

Today was the first day of action at Jakarta 2018 after the opening ceremony took place on 18th. India didn’t take too long to open their medal’s count today, with Apurvi Chandela and Ravi Kumar securing a bronze medal for the country in the 10m Air Rifle Mixed Team event.

Earlier in the day, Chandela and Kumar qualified for the final with a total score of 835.3 (208.6 + 208.7 + 206.7 +211.3). After having qualified, they took their game to the next level, by winning a medal as well. In the final, they scored a total of 429.9 points behind Chinese Taipei’s 494.1 (an Asian Games record), and China’s 492.5.

India win bronze
Image source: Indian Express

“Our best finish together was fourth at the World Cup and we have improved on that. My first Asian Games medal and my first medal for India here. I am really happy about that but my focus is on main event (10m rifle) tomorrow,” said Apurvi Chandela after this win.

However, they could’ve had a silver, as they had a slip-up in the elimination stage, falling from second to third place. “This happens in shooting. I think we shot alright,” added Chandela. Her partner Kumar showered praise on her, saying, “This bronze has come only because of Apurvi. The final was a disappointment after a decent qualification. We didn’t get enough time to train together.”

It could’ve been a double whammy kind of day for India but they had a shock upset as  Manu Bhaker and Abhishek Verma failed to qualify for the final of the 10m Air Pistol Mixed Team event. However, the Indian team overall had a good Sunday, with wrestler Bajrang Punia later winning India its first gold medal of the Asiad 2018.

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About Dwayne Fernandes 2314 Articles
Indian, 28 years old. Avid cricket fan. Business Management Graduate. Twitter and Instagram - @dwayneeeboy