Fired-up Jaspal shoots for a gold

Waking up with a fever of 103 degrees F is not the best way to begin a medal hunt at the Asian Games. But shooter Jaspal Rana steadied his hand, tossed aside criticisms about his form, and shot for the gold in the 25 m standard pistol event. It was India?s first gold in shooting at the current Asian Games, after R.S. Rathore and others settled for baser metals.

Waking up with a fever of 103 degrees F is not the best way to begin a medal hunt at the Asian Games. But shooter Jaspal Rana steadied his hand, tossed aside criticisms about his form, and shot for the gold in the 25 m standard pistol event. It was India’s first gold in shooting at the current Asian Games, after R.S. Rathore and others settled for baser metals.

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The 30-year-old Delhiite, who shot 574 out of 600, proved one more point: that 12 years after he won the gold at the Hiroshima Games, he remains among the country’s best shooters. “This is not a comeback for me. I was always there, just lying low,” said Rana, whose performance helped India win the silver in the team event as well.