Indian shooter Manish Narwal decimated the Paralympic record to take gold in the Mixed 50m Pistol SH1 event. Fellow shooter Singhraj Adana secured silver in the same event to give India a sensational one-two finish in the Tokyo Paralympics.
1-2 for India! The stuff of dreams…Gold for Manish Narwal with a Paralympic record in mixed 50m SH1! And Silver for Singhraj Adhana, his second medal of the #Tokyo2020 Paralympics. Just Incredible. Congratulations to both, we all are so proud #Praise4Para
— Abhinav A. Bindra OLY (@Abhinav_Bindra) September 4, 2021
As per the Paralympics rule, an athlete designated in SH1 category has an impairment that affects one arm and/or their legs. For example, their impairment can be the result of amputations or spinal cord injuries. A few athletes compete in a seating position while the rest shoot in an upright position.
Must Read: Shuttlers Pramod Bhagat, Manoj Sarkar double the joy in Tokyo
Manish, 19, was born with a deformity in the right hand and his quiet attitude worried his
father. Being a sportsman, Dilbagh Narwal did not want his son to stay at home and brood. He searched for the right sport for Manish that would require one hand to excel. Thus, started the journey of a 14-year old boy in shooting.
Manish is the world record holder in Men’s 50m para pistol event. In the Paralympic final, he shot a total of 218.2 points to clinch gold in his maiden Paralympic campaign. The 39-year-old Singhraj, who had won bronze in the P1 men’s 10m air pistol SH1 event, also added a silver to his kitty after he shot a total of 216.7 points.
Goosebumps! Indian National Anthem playing at Manish Narwal’s Victory Ceremony at #Tokyo2020 #Paralympics
We really 💜 this! pic.twitter.com/aqyo6sxqs2
— Doordarshan Sports (@ddsportschannel) September 4, 2021
Earlier in the qualifying round, Manish scored 533 to qualify for the final in seventh place, while Singhraj qualified for the medal round in fourth place with 536 at the Asaka Shooting Range.
Must Watch: Ground Zero with Divyanshu Bajaj
Singhraj had a better start than Manish in the finals and was leading the table after the opening 10 shots, with 92.1 points. Manish had a jittery start to the final and could muster
87.2 in the 1st competition stage. Both the Indian shooters stepped up when it mattered and held their nerve against the early charge of the Chinese duo in the elimination stage.
A golden sunrise for India at the #Paralympics.
Congratulate #ManishNarwal and @AdhanaSinghraj on winning #Gold and #Silver respectively in the mixed 50m pistol #ShootingParaSport.
India is proud of its heroes. #Praise4Para #Cheer4India pic.twitter.com/9xup9R7MBq
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) September 4, 2021
At one point, Manish slipped to 4th position after his 18th shot. However, he made a superb comeback with his 19th and 20th shots. Manish shot 10.8 and 10.5 to secure the pole
position from Singhraj, who became the second Indian in this edition of the Games (after Avani Lekhara) and the third Indian athlete to win multiple medals at the Paralympics.
India’s Olympic hero Abhinav Bindra was ecstatic after the win of Manish
and Singhraj. He tweeted, “1-2 for India! The stuff ofdreams…Gold for Manish Narwal with a Paralympic record in mixed 50m SH1! And Silver for Singhraj Adhana, his second medal of the Tokyo Paralympics. Just incredible.”
Also Read: Dash of history in Yuvraj Sandhu’s ascent in Hyderabad
